Walking in the under construction World Expo 2010 Site, people can find out that some hundred-year-old industrial heritage and historical architectures have been endowed with "new characters."

Several workshops of Shanghai Pudong Steel Corporation will be renovated into Expo performance center and free joint pavilions for some participating countries.

Jiangnan Shipyard, having a history almost as long as the World Expo, will be preserved as a modern industrial symbol of China to debut in Expo Shanghai.

The site that Expo Shanghai chose is one of the origins of country's modern industry. In order to hold a cost-efficient budget World Expo, the organisers have decided to keep the 380,000-square-meter existing buildings, said Shanghai Vice Mayor, Yang Xiong, executive deputy director of the Executive Committee of the World Expo 2010 Shanghai.

The renovated historical buildings will consist one fifth of the Expo Site, which will also be one of the highlights of World Expo Shanghai.

Wu Zhiqiang, chief designer of the Expo Site said China had realized that the dismantling and construction work during the preparation period of such international event will have the negative effects on residents, companies and city's culture. Therefore, the organisers will keep a principle of hosting a cost-efficient World Expo to avoid wasting and luxury.

Near the office of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, some N-shaped former workshops of a weaving and dyeing factory have been renovated into the administration and catering centers for the Expo.

Besides taking full advantage of the existing constructions, China has also decided not to build any "landmark" especially for the Expo. During the process of bidding for the Expo 2010, Shanghai used to think of building a flower bridge over the Huangpu River. But the organisers now gave up the plan because of the high cost and low utility.

Experts submitted their suggestion on what we can use to impress the visitors without a landmark for Expo. Some said the chimney of Shanghai's first fire power plant could be renovated into a sightseeing elevator. Some suggested the organisers replace the 20-hector former iron steel factory with a green land.

The concept of design that the expo organisers expressed is cost-efficient and leave the most precious land and water to local residents, said Zhu Shunbao, designer from a Dutch designing firm.

Wu said taking advantage of the old buildings was not a "lazy act," on contrary, renovation work was very troublesome. But it deserved that, he added, because city's history was protected and it would embody the concept that city's development should be cost-efficient, practical and sustainable, which is also the organisers' will.