BEIJING, August 6 /PRNewswire/ --

Haier, the world's fourth largest white goods manufacturer and the official white goods sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, today opens the Haier "Making the World a Home" Experience Center in Chaoyang Park, Beijing. The Experience Center will be open to the public for the duration of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where visitors will experience Haier's vision of the future of home appliances and its "U-Home" technology.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080806/CNW024 )

The Experience Center, located at the south entrance of Chaoyang Park, Beijing, will allow visitors to experience 16 hours of a person's life in the future showcasing Haier's solutions to ease the life of the user from morning to evening. At home in the morning, while the consumer is exercising, his jogging machine will monitor his pulse rate or energy consumed. When leaving home, "U-Home" technology will automatically shut down lights to save energy and start the security system. In the office, Haier brings wireless interactive devices, making the office environment more clear and efficient. On the way home after work, the user can check the content of his refrigerator on his mobile phone and make a detour to the store accordingly. Finally, at home in the evening, the intelligent bed will recognize when the user has finished his day, and will shut down the lights, the television and close the curtains.

The bubble shaped building also serves as a giant screen where evening light shows will introduce Haier's history, Olympic sponsorship, and efforts for environmental protection. The entertainment area of the Experience Center will offer virtual sport games that will allow visitors to test Haier's technology while playing.

Haier's technology, named "U-Home" for "Ubiquitous Home", will accompany users in every step of their day-to-day life, keep them connected to the world when at home and to home when outside. Haier "U-Home" equipped home appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners or washing machines use the internet, mobile communication and fixed telephone networks to allow users to communicate with their home appliances anytime anywhere to control them and retrieve information remotely.

"Haier's Experience Center matches the excellence of Haier's products and services offered to athletes, journalists, visitors and staff in the Olympic venues. Haier has provided the Beijing Olympic Games with state of the art appliances in terms of energy efficiency and environmental protection. At the Experience Center, visitors from around the world will enjoy a taste of the future imagined by Haier," said Mr. WU Shouzhang, Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC).

"The Olympic Spirit advocates mutual understanding, friendship, unity and the spirit of fair competition, and stands for harmonious, free, healthy and active lifestyles. By means of household appliances in line with the Olympic spirit, Haier 'Making the World a Home' Experience Center endows the visitor with a harmonious and joyful 16 hours life experience," said Haier Group SVP Mr. ZHOU Yunjie.

About Haier Group

Founded in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, in 1984 under the leadership of ZHANG Ruimin, its current Chairman and CEO, Haier Group is the world's fourth largest white goods manufacturer. Haier is one of the best known Chinese brands in the world, with distribution in over 160 countries. Haier employs 50,000 people, including 10,000 outside China.

Photos of the Experience Center are available on request.

Ms. HAN Xiaohua of Haier Group Co. Ltd., +86-15010378047, or hxh@haier.com; Mr. Simon VERICEL of Hill and Knowlton China, +86-10-5861-7570, or simon.vericel@hillandknowlton.com.cn /Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080806/CNW024, PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840