An exhibition featuring more than 300 valuable historical documents about previous World Expos opened in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The exhibition, held at the World Expo Museum, showcases documents of various descriptions, including official reports, pavilion designs, media clippings and books, offering visitors a chance to learn about the development of World Expos over more than a century.

"It allows visitors to view expos from a new angle by offering minute details as well as grand schemes, initial plans as well as post-event summaries," said Vicente G. Loscertales, secretary-general of the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

A highlight of the exhibition is the first Chinese monograph detailing a World Expo. The book was written by Chinese official Li Gui after he visited the expo held in Philadelphia in 1876 as a member of the Chinese delegation.

Located at the former site of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the World Expo Museum is the only official museum and documentation center in the world entirely dedicated to expos and authorized by the BIE.