Though it might not be a huge priority for some countries (the USA looked like a no-show just months ago), but in Shanghai, where Expo mascot Haibao's appears everywhere from huge building-face obscuring posters to milk boxes, Expo is an event of import on par with the Beijing Olympics. Indeed, Expo organizers are betting on it being the tourist event of the year for China's growing legions of leisure travelers, with an estimated 70 million visitors expected to show up over the event's six-month run.

It remains to be seen how truly international the event is in this year of hopeful, but shaky, global economic recovery, but one thing's for sure: China is going to have a big ol' party no matter what, complete with the Chinese world's top celebrities.

Attesting to that is the latest from Xinhua.net, which informs us that many of China's biggest international stars—including Yao Ming, Jackie Chan and pianist wünderhööven (what, that can't be a word?) Lang Lang (who performed at the Beijing Olympics, if you recall)—participated in a kickoff for something that comes through the often-rough off-the-cuff translation Xinhua machine as the "celebrities show you around Shanghai Expo 2010" event. The idea appears to be that China's biggest entertainment names will do their patriotic duty (and, perhaps, pick up a few RMB here and there for their trouble) by publicizing Expo within China.

We don't know if this means that lucky visitors will actually get personal tours of the China pavilion, complete with backflips and split-stalls in doorways by Jackie Chan, but hey, we can dream can't we? He has appeared on the Shanghai Metro in wonderfully cheesy ads leading a crowd of Shanghai residents in a vigorous round of tai chi, after all.

We'll also be curious to see if Yao Ming can boost China's eco-consciousness and get millions of his compatriots to forgo shark's fin soup. He's been crusading against the cruel practice of "finning" for a few years now, and stated, in fluent Xinhuanese, that he hoped "more people especially the teenagers will join us to popularize Shanghai Expo and disseminate its ideas of green, health and affection."

Cheers to that.

More at Xinhua.net