Volunteers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University wave goodbye to visitors as the six-month event drew to a close. The students are holding copies of Expo Daily, which covered the 184-day world fair, and a sign that says: "Hard to say goodbye, from Jiao Tong volunteers."

World Expo Shanghai 2010 leaves behind a legacy that captures the soul of the record-breaking event, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said as the event wrapped up Sunday.

"Only when the ideas behind the accomplishments of civilizations are shared can they become treasures for all of humanity and be carried on forever," Wen said at the Expo Summit Forum.

Even though Expo 2010 has ended, its legacy will live on through the urban best practices and concepts that are integrated into daily work for a better urban life and the modernization of rural areas, Wen said.

Expo participants yesterday jointly issued the Shanghai Declaration as a "summary of the substantive achievements" of the event. The declaration advocated cities that are environmentally friendly, efficient and diversified.

The declaration also proposed that October 31, the closing day of this Expo, be nominated as World Better Cities Day, to carry on the legacy of the Shanghai event, the first World Expo held in a developing country.

Expo 2010 presented a golden opportunity for Chinese to learn from the experiences and expertise of other nations as a "one-day Expo visit outweighs 10 years of reading," Wen said.

"The Shanghai Expo will soon close, but it will not be forgotten," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday at the forum.

Ban said that the Chinese government, the city of Shanghai and the International Bureau of Expositions deserve the loudest applause as the event brought nations together and celebrated global diversity.

"Thanks to this Expo, millions of people learned about possibilities for making our cities healthier and safer, cities that better integrate nature and technology, cities that offer their citizens cleaner air and water, and better lives all around," Ban said.

Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales, secretary-general of the International Bureau of Expositions, said: "Shanghai 2010 has inspired a mind-set of cooperation, solidarity and openness, which are essential to tackle the major challenges facing humanity.

"Expos build bridges that connect different spheres of society," Loscertales continued. "They translate complex and high-level concepts into a visual language that is easily accessible to people from all walks of life."