The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was the first world fair in the twentieth century. It was held in Paris, France, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next.
The style that was universally present in the Exposition was Art Nouveau. China also participated in the fair, setting up five Chinese Pavilions on the exposition grounds.
In today's China at the World Expos series, we take a look at the 1900 World Expo.
This is a lithograph of one of the Chinese Pavilions in the 1900 Paris Exposition.
In the top of the lithograph is the portrait of the Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi, the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China during that period.
The Pavilion is a duplicated temple of typically Chinese style, with the flag of the Qing Dynasty flying on top.
Chinese Pavilion of 1900 Exposition
In front of the the Pavilion, Chinese craftsmen are showing how to make porcelain, and the entertainment of carrying a sedan and wheelbarrow trolley also attracts foreign visitors.
This is another Chinese Pavilion in the Paris exposition.
Most of the Chinese exhibits were organized by Chinese customs and traditional products still dominated most of them. The world is entering a new century, contrary to the prosperity of the west, China was suffering at that time from political unrest and invasion of the western forces.
These traditional and low-level exhibits maybe a reflection of the weakening Qing Dynasty.