Local citizens wait to see the fireworks and lights show of the opening ceremony for the 2010 World Expo near the World Expo Park in Shanghai. (Associated Press/Xinhua/Li Mingfang)

A proud Shanghai celebrated the opening of the 2010 World Expo on Friday with a lavish riverside display of fireworks, fountains and laser lights that rivalled the stunning launch of the Beijing Olympics in its extravagance.

For Shanghai, the Expo marks an emphatic comeback as a major world city after decades of spartan industrialism following the 1949 communist revolution. Like the 2008 Olympics, the event is showcasing China's growing economic and geopolitical sway, both for the world and for its own public.

The star-studded indoor festivities included action star Jackie Chan, Japanese singer Shinji Tanimura, concert pianist Lang Lang and opera star Andrea Bocelli, among 2,300 performers. Afterward, guests moved outside for a lights, music and fireworks jubilee that lit up the drab banks of the Huangpu River with 1,200 searchlights, powerful lasers and mobile fountains.

Fireworks are launched during the opening ceremony at the World Expo. (Associated Press/Eugene Hoshika)

The Expo opens to the public on Saturday and is expected to draw 70 million people over six months to pavilions from almost 200 nations designed to reflect the urban sustainability theme of "Better city, better life."

The Expo caps a trio of landmark events that began with the Olympics and was followed by the elaborate military parades for the 2009 celebration of the 60th anniversary of Communist Party rule.

All have involved massive security crackdowns and intensified harassment of political dissidents, though commercial-minded Shanghai has kept measures low-key compared with the lockdown imposed for the Beijing Olympics, when tourist visas were cancelled and the capital was cleared of migrants.

Still, local authorities, determined to prevent crimes or disturbances that could mar the Expo, have tightened their enforcement of a ban on protests or public criticism of the ruling Communist Party.

A prominent dissident, Feng Zhenghu, said police confiscated computers from his home after he announced a new manifesto on human rights, a critique of Shanghai's legal system, to coincide with the Expo.

A bridge and both sides of the Huangpu River are illuminated in Shanghai. (Associated Press/Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders said at least six people who protested having their homes demolished to make way for the Expo were sent to labour camps.

The Shanghai Expo, the first held in a developing country, is a source of pride for many city residents, though they already are complaining about crowds, traffic jams and other disruptions.

The already tight security in the city was ratcheted up Friday as authorities closed the sprawling riverside Expo site to all but a few workers, journalists and VIPs. As the evening performance began, police went from door-to-door in some buildings near the Expo site, trying to force visitors to leave as outraged residents argued back.

"We have been bothered many times recently. They even don't allow us to invite our relatives or friends to come see the fireworks. How can such a good thing turn out to be so be miserable?" complained one apartment owner. Fearing retaliation, she gave only her surname, Zhu.

A night view shows the Canada pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. (Reuters)

Shanghai residents had crowded into areas near the river from the early afternoon, hoping to get a glimpse of the evening celebrations attended by Hu and other leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Expo organizers had insisted on keeping details of their plans for the evening performances hush-hush, saying they did not want to spoil the surprise.

The elaborate outdoor performances, focused on the themes "Welcome to China," "Harmonious gathering" and "Celebration" were centred on what organizers said is the world's largest LED screen, at 280 metres long and 33 metres high, and a fountain shooting water 80 metres high.

"This show couldn't be done anywhere but in China," said David Atkins, the executive producer of the outdoor performance.