The battle between Beijing and Shanghai for the reputation as China’s top city may be heating up on more than one front in the near future. Shanghai is working out final details for its World Expo 2010 set to begin in less than a year. The expo features the theme "Better City – Better Life" and focuses on Shanghai's status as an economic and cultural world leader.

According to Shanghaiist.com, tickets for the peak days (the first three days, National Day holidays, etc.) of the six-month event sold out in just a few hours when they went on sale last Wednesday. The first ticket was sold by phone to a buyer who called just a few minutes after midnight, and the first ticket purchased in person went to a 74-year-old man who waited in line for more than 6 hours before tickets went on sale at 9am. Sources are predicting next year’s expo will likely be the largest gathering in the history of such world fair events.

But Beijing isn’t going down without a fight. On the contrary, while the Old North Capital will leave the cute festivals with Gumby-like mascots to its long-time rival, the city is looking to surpass Shanghai as China’s financial powerhouse. The Beijing municipal government announced June 29 that it will offer special treatment, “including large subsidies” and multi-million RMB bonuses, to lure multinational companies into either locating or relocating their headquarters in the capital city. The move is expected to give Beijing a powerful boost in its financial competition against Shanghai.

Beijing is also surging on the cultural front. On July 1, MSNBC World Blog posted an article calling Beijing "the new New York." The article cited economic woes due to the current recession as an inspiration for "a renaissance in the arts and culture" in the capital city. Businesses and ventures based in the arts, or in other cultural avenues such as fashion and dining, are experiencing almost unprecedented growth and success in Beijing.

On July 15, Derek Sandhaus, author of Tales of Old Peking, and Graham Earnshaw, author of Tales of Old Shanghai, will square off at the Bookworm at 7.30pm in a discussion of the rivalry between the two cities, focusing on key people, places and events throughout the two cities histories. It’s unlikely that the debate will be resolved in one night, or ever for that matter, but if you want to pick up some new ammunition to impress your Beijing friends or slay your Shanghai enemies in future debates, be sure to drop by.