China's first World Expo and the largest in history by size, attendance, and international participants, Expo 2010 Shanghai even saw the largest World Expo attendance in a single day: over one million on 16 October 2010.

​

Expo 2010 Shanghai broke the record for area previously held by the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the record for attendance previously held by Expo 1970 Osaka.

Shanghai won the bid on 3 December 2002 against four competing cities: Yeosu, South Korea (who subsequently won the smaller Expo 2012); Moscow, Russia; Querétaro, Mexico, and Wroclaw, Poland.

Expo 2010 followed Beijing's 2008 Olympics and attempted to promote China as a central player in the 21st century.