Ebru Painter Wins 'War' against Water

Murat Elhan demonstrates his painting skill at the Expo.

ARTIST Murat Elhan is demonstrating traditional Ebru painting every day at the Turkey Pavilion.

Ebru painting, also known as the art of water marbling, is a unique technique allowing artists to draw patterns by sprinkling and brushing color pigments on a pan of water or a viscous oily solution. It originated about 1,000 years ago.

He draws under the water surface to create patterns on a piece of paper.

"You have to gain control over the colors, or the water will draw the picture instead of you," said Elhan.

The 36 year old said he took delight in waging a "war" against water, and he always wins because he knows the key to success - finding the perfect density of pigments.

"It's all about density. You can feel the density with your own hands," Elhan said.

He said skillful Ebru artists should know when to add more water into the pan as the pigments will sink due to their high density, and they should also know when to add more pigments if their low density gives the water a chance to dissolve them.

"You gain control over the colors and you can draw anything, but if the situation is well out of hand, the water will dissolve the pigments into a free style," he said.

To win the little "war" against water, Elhan said he has created a group of elite "soldiers," a term he uses to refer to his own handmade pigments, brushes, pan and sticks.

Elhan is also a well-known teacher of Ebru painting in Turkey. He has taught hundreds of students how to control the colors, passing the graceful art to younger generations.

He learned at the age of 10, simply by watching his father, who supported the family by selling his Ebru paintings.

Elhan draws everything from flowers and water waves to abstract lines and patterns. It sometimes takes six hours to finish a piece.

"The art is very open to minds, it requires so much concentration that you forget about time," he said.

Elhan will be at the Turkey Pavilion's exit from 11am to 7pm every day until the Expo ends on October 31. If you don't see him, look around for a crowd of people. He will likely be the guy in the middle of the big crowd.

Cool Tips for Hot Times

Visitors enjoy a cool moment while queuing to enter the Saudi Arabia Pavilion yesterday. The area has been equipped with sprays and covered with sunshades. The spraying system can cool the temperature by around 5 degrees Celsius and is in large demand among pavilions now that the city has entered "sanfu," the hottest time of the year.

PEOPLE can make their visit to the World Expo more comfortable during the hottest period of the summer by choosing cool pavilions, finding shady areas to rest and following the instructions of doctors.

The organizer yesterday began giving out 500,000 free fans to visitors every day at the entrance gates. A total of 25 million fans will be handed out during the summer.

The weather forecast will be broadcast on large screens across the site.

Free cooling oil and sunstroke medicine are available at the 56 Visitors Service Centers across the site. Visitors can ask volunteers for the oil and medicine.

To avoid the blistering sun, visitors can enter pavilions and restaurants or go to the second underground level of Expo Boulevard.

The joint pavilions and Theme Pavilions are good places to hide from the sun as they usually have much shorter queues.

Visitors can also go to the skating rink in the Expo Culture Center. It costs 30 yuan (US$4.43) to rent a pair of skates.

Cool pavilions

Norway Pavilion in Zone C has a mist wall to isolate itself from the hot weather outside. A popular exhibit in the pavilion features a bear paw print in the snow, which visitors can touch.

MeteoWorld Pavilion in Zone B sprays mist every 10 seconds to cool people off. The temperature around could be lowered by 6 degrees Celsius.

The Air Tree in the Madrid Pavilion in the Urban Best Practices Area can reduce the temperature beneath it by 8 to 10 degrees.

The tree is like a massive umbrella, with 100 square meters of panels able to change orientation to achieve the desired conditions. It is covered in solar panels to drive a fan to circulate air beneath.

The temperature in the Iceland Pavilion is 21 degrees, lower than the 27 degrees at other pavilions, to imitate the country's summer weather.

The cubic-shaped pavilion even looks like an ice block.

Doctor's Suggestions

Foreign visitors, especially those new to Shanghai, were suggested to rest for at least a day after arriving in Shanghai before going to the Expo. This will help them acclimatize to the weather and avoid getting sick, doctor Zhao Enhao said at a medical service station at the Expo site.

The city's health authority yesterday reminded visitors to drink more water, especially salt water when visiting the Expo in hot weather.

Also, wear light, loose clothing, a hat and sunglasses. Sun creams are also recommended.

Buildings Shake as Earthquake Strikes City

A SMALL earthquake in neighboring Jiangsu Province shook Shanghai yesterday morning.

Some people living in high-rises in Baoshan, Putuo, Yangpu districts and the Pudong New Area felt their building shake and called media outlets.

According to the Shanghai Seismological Bureau, the inshore area of Rudong County in Jiangsu's Nantong City had a 3.8-magnitude earthquake at 11:06am yesterday. The depth of the earthquake was 5,000 meters and the epicenter was 132 kilometers from downtown Shanghai.

A 4.0-magnitude quake with a depth of 12 kilometers hit the same place on July 9.

Officials said the earthquakes won't have any effect on Shanghai.

"The two earthquakes were very small," said Shou Haitao from the Shanghai Seismological Bureau. "There is no connection between them."

Prepare for Challenges of Census Now: Official

SHANGHAI faces many challenges to carry out a population census but the city will endeavor to overcome them because a successful census is crucial to making good policies for the next decade, Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong said yesterday.

"China's census could be the most difficult in the world," Yang said. "Shanghai should prepare because the city is home to roughly 19 million permanent residents, numerous people living here temporarily, and many foreigners. That's a lot of people to count."

Worldwide, more than 50 countries are carrying out or plan to conduct a census this year. The United States reported its population has surpassed 309 million and India 1.1 billion. China is expected to remain the world's most populous country.

The census is an important overview of the city's social and economic conditions, Yang said. It could provide information and guidance for future urban planning, resources development, population management and policies involving health care, traffic and social insurance.

The sixth national census starts on November 1.

For the first time, the census will also include foreigners and people from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Disney and Miffy Kids' Shoes Fail Quality Tests

CHILDREN'S shoes featuring Disney and Miffy labels failed a recent quality test, the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said yesterday.

The bureau tested 58 batches of shoes in local department stores and supermarkets with 24 batches failing the test. The problems centered on poor durability and excessive levels of formaldehyde, officials said.

The stores were ordered to remove the unqualified shoes.

Bobdog shoes sold at Huahai Young Supplies Co and Mckids shoes sold at Shanghai Longtrust Co were found with excessive levels of formaldehyde. The chemical substance easily evaporates in the air, and may lead to respiratory and digestive system diseases in children, the bureau said.

A pair of shoes bearing a Disney label sold at the Huaihai Young Supplies store was found to have poor durability. The tread and vamp of the shoes easily came unglued, officials said.

Another pair of shoes sold at the store and bearing the label Miffy had the same problem. In the test, the shoes came unglued on both sides.

Both brands were produced by factories in Foshan, Guangdong Province, the bureau said.

Disney Shanghai said yesterday that the company is now looking into the matter while Miffy said it was not aware of the issue. The other two companies were not available for comment yesterday