SHAOXING, Zhejiang - China opened a forum on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai World Expo Thursday to discuss how rural areas can reduce the economic gap with cities, as developing nations increasingly confront the challenge of economic transformation.

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The two-day forum is being held in Shaoxing City in east China's Zhejiang province.

Nearly 600 delegates, including Chinese government officials, mayors, sociologists and economists from around the world are attending the forum, said Xu Wei, a Shanghai World Expo spokesman.

Shaoxing City, a three hour drive from Shanghai, is where the late great Chinese writer and thinker Lu Xun was born.

The history of the city dates back to 490 BC, when it was established as the capital of the Yue Kingdom. It is now a major textile production base.

As of Tuesday, more than 49 million people had visited the Expo, which began on May. 1 and runs until October 31.