In autumn 2007, the citizens of Nanjing were invited to partake of a wide range of cultural, science and business offerings from Germany. The highlight of the event was the Germany Esplanade from 19 – 27 October 2007: 13 pavilions presented Germany as a land of ideas and innovations.

A ceremony on Daxinggong Square in Nanjing, a metropolis of ten million that serves as the capital of Jiangsu Province, marked the beginning of the Germany Esplanade. The central pavilion presented a multimedia exhibition under the heading ‘Urban Visions’. Official Partners Allianz, BASF, Daimler, Deutsche Bank, DHL and Siemens, along with the Station Partners and Sponsors of the Germany Esplanade in Nanjing exhibited their innovative approaches and ideas for urban planning, mobility, ecology, energy, infrastructure, logistics and traffic and transport. Good entertainment was also provided in the shape of a German-Chinese pop festival, movie nights and classical concerts, held in the bright red culture pavilion of Li Jiwei, an artist who divides his time between Beijing and Berlin.

Future generations were considered as well: at the KidsLab, children were invited to have fun as they learned about how wastepaper is recycled and wastewater is treated. Some 200,000 visitors flocked to the ‘Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together’ presentation and took advantage of the offerings in Nanjing to explore Germany as a land of ideas and innovations.