On every street corner you can spot him.  His eternal smile finds you from nearly every inch of the Peoples Square. And just when you think you’ve escaped his Gumby-like figure, a street peddler accosts you, shoving a stuffed, blue toy of his likeness in your face.  He is the face behind the slogan, “Better city, better life”.  He is the mascot of the 2010 World Expo, Haibao. 

With all the world’s eyes on Shanghai next year, great efforts have been taken to live up to the...