PRECIOUS MEMENTO: A staff member at the Austria Pavilion shows stamps embedded with Swarovski crystals (LI MINGFANG)

On May 18, 2010, Australia Post issued two stamps showing the Australian Pavilion and kookaburra mascot Peng Peng, which is the Chinese translation of "friendship."

New Zealand Post also issued a set of stamps celebrating its participation at the 2010 World Expo. The exciting collection captures the remarkable similarities between the cultures of New Zealand and China.

The set includes a stamp showing Auckland and Shanghai, two large cities in New Zealand and China, and another stamp featuring precious jades in both countries.

The 2010 World Expo is the first Expo participated by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The country issued a new stamp to mark the opening of the Expo, reported the official Korean Central News Agency in early May. The background of the stamp is Pyongyang and Shanghai, with an inscription of "Expo 2010 Shanghai China" in Korean, Chinese and English.

The stamp booth in the country's pavilion has become the most popular section of the pavilion. In addition to its Expo-themed stamp, the pavilion also features many other stamps, including some with a China connection. For instance, a stamp issued in 1993 commemorates Mao Zedong's 100th birthday.

PINNING A MEMORY: Expo badges and pins on a boy's shirt draw the attention of visitors at the Expo (CHEN FEI)

Country specialties

Many pavilions offer souvenirs to make the Expo trip more memorable. At the Austria Pavilion, for example, visitors can pick out a gift by Swarovski, maker of luxury crystal jewelry. Crystal-studded pendants and necklaces are popular, but one of the favorites is a black T-shirt studded with crystals.

The France Pavilion offers a limited edition perfume. Its bottle features the image of the orb-shaped facade of the France Pavilion. The perfume is priced at 188 yuan ($28).

COLORFUL TOYS: Matryoshka dolls are popular traditional handicrafts from Russia (WANG DINGCHANG)

The Finland Pavilion has launched two cellphones to celebrate the Expo. Buyers can also purchase a cellphone cover and other accessories.

As the Platinum Partner for the Switzerland Pavilion, the Swiss watch-maker Swatch has designed a limited edition watch for the Expo. It features a bright red wrist strap made of silicon and a white case. The dial is decorated with the Swiss National Flag.

The Koala and Kangaroo plush toys at the Australia Pavilion's souvenir shop attract many visitors, too. People can also find skin-care products made of sheep oil at the shop.

The Africa Joint Pavilion and the Pacific Pavilion are popular shopping venues. Black pearls from Tahiti and bone handicrafts from Africa are particularly well-liked.

Customized products are also hot. At the Tunisia Pavilion, for example, visitors can get their names engraved in Arabic on a clay pot. Other pavilions also offer personalized souvenirs.

The Egypt Pavilion, which has a presentation on how to write ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, also offers visitors a chance to create a unique souvenir using Egyptian papyrus. The paper is made from papyrus that grows on the banks of the Nile.

Visitors can have their name painted on the papyrus for about 50-240 yuan ($7-$35). A staff member at the pavilion said the demand for the papyrus souvenirs always exceeds the supply.

Models

Models of favorite exhibits are also hot buys at the Expo. One such exhibit is the Gömböc in the Hungary Pavilion—a huge 3-meter wide by 3-meter tall object that always rights itself if tipped over. Some people could not get enough of it, so when it was time to leave, they bought a steel model.

Airplane models are top sellers at the China Aviation Pavilion—about 90 percent of the souvenirs at the pavilion are model planes. Models of sailing boats, fishing boats and naval vessels in the China State Shipbuilding Corporation Pavilion, priced from less than 100 yuan ($15) to several thousands of yuan also sell well.