The nature of any expatriate-filled land is that people constantly come and go. For this reason many people, myself included, will not be here to see the fruits of the slightly intrusive construction work going on for the Shanghai Expo. But don't fret -- a virtual Shanghai World Expo has just been rolled out.

Expo Shanghai Online went live on 12 November. When you log on, you're presented with a birds-eye view of the Shanghai Expo site and greeted by the welcoming, grinning face of Haibao. You can then create your own avatar, walk around the Expo site and experience the pavilions virtually.

The 3D virtual reality website is only in Chinese at the moment, and you can click on pavilions and buildings, browse around and get a closer look without making your own virtual self. When the Expo begins, you'll also be able to stream live events with just a click of a button.

And for those who can't read Chinese, head to the website in January when the English language version is up. Until then, just randomly click buttons, see what happens, and enjoy the comforting sounds of Haibao's voice.

For more, visit Expo Shanghai Online http://www.expo.cn