Visitors mull 'Operation Overnight'

• Source: Global Times
• [09:35 June 23 2010]
• Comments

By Zhou Ping

As people plot online about the possibility of hiding inside the Expo Park overnight to beat long lineups at popular pavilions the next day, staffers inside the park say that the chances of them getting caught are high.

Most of the schemers posting on KDS' and Baidu's forums Tuesday were most interested in camping out at the park to get a head start to popular pavilions - the Saudi Arabia Pavilion is so hot right now that visitors even line up some nine hours before actually entering.

"I'm actually thinking about trying to spend the night in the park since it's so difficult to get into some of the pavilions," Ke Yang, a white-collar worker in the city who plans on visiting the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai soon, told the Global Times Tuesday. "I really want to see the Saudi Arabia Pavilion since I heard it's fabulous, but I don't want to waste the entire day waiting in line."

"My friends who have been to the Expo told me that it's super hard to see even two pavilions a day because it's so busy," he added. "I've already talked the plan over with my friends, and if we can get away with it, we should be able to see more pavilions."

Though he said that he and his friends have not yet figured out where the best hiding spots are, he said they will do some homework before they go ahead with 'Operation Overnight,' a plan he hopes will help them race past over 400,000 daily visitors.

But security staff inside the park, who are not allowed to disclose security details, said that 24-hour patrols, which include both armed forces and policeman at night, will make it tough for conspiring visitors.

"Those who are caught trying to spend the night inside the park will be asked to leave after midnight as staying past then is not permitted for visitors," an employee surnamed Zhou from the park's security monitoring center, told the Global Times Tuesday.

Security inside the park is strict at night, according to Cao Baoqing, a security guard who works at the park.

"But if visitors are dead-set on hiding inside the park, I'm sure they can always find a place," he admitted. "It's hard for police to patrol every corner of the park since it's so big, and especially when it's dark out."

Since the park opened he said that he has only heard of one case involving a visitor who attempted the act.

"But he wasn't punished," he said. "He was just driven out by the police who were on patrol at the time."

Cao further mused that visitors wanting to stay overnight might be successful if they can persuade staff working the overnight shift at pavilions to let them in during the wee morning hours.

Meanwhile, Zhu Dongfang, who works at the Japan Pavilion and rotates between a day and night shift, said that she would not consider helping others sneak in late, even her friends, out of fear she might be punished.

"I haven't heard about anyone at my pavilion doing this type of thing, so I'm not sure what the consequences would be, but I don't want to risk finding out," she said.