The ninth China International Garden Expo, held every two years, is jointly organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the regional government.
The former garden expos were successively held in Dalian, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Jinan and Chongqing beginning in 1997.
The ninth China International Garden Expo will be held in Beijing’s Fengtai district from May 18 to Nov 18.
Former Chinese President Hu Jintao and other former State leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao and Jia Qinglin, participated in Beijing’s voluntary tree-planting in 2011 and 2012. They had high expectations for the 2013 Garden Expo.
Key projects of the Garden Expo
Green landscapes A green landscape has been built on ecologically-restored abandoned land. A 2.5-kilometer landscape avenue with ginkgoes on both sides penetrates the park from north to south.
Apart from cherry blossoms, carpe myrtle and clove theme parks, the green landscape, covering an area of 147 hectares, has 340 kinds of flowers and over 12 million trees and shrubs.
China Garden Museum
China Garden Museum’s overall floorage is 50,000 square meters. Integrating various technologies, the museum will exhibit new achievements in Chinese gardens and a panorama of landscape art. It will be the first national garden museum in China once completed.
The design concept and layout structure of the museum combines traditional and modern styles to coordinate with its surroundings.
The museum also has an outdoor exhibition park, displaying traditional garden products from different regions and eras.
Main Exhibition Hall
As the main building in the core area of the Garden Expo, the Main Exhibition Hall has an overall floorage of 50,000 square meters.
The hall will exhibit garden art from China and abroad, new landscaping techniques and materials, and garden artwork.
During the expo, the hall will be used for high-level forums, academic seminars, technical and commercial exchanges, and other activities.
The hall building is designed in the shape of a Chinese rose, which is Beijing’s city flower. Many energy-saving technologies have been used in the building’s design to lower costs.
Yongding Tower
Located on Yingshan Mountain within the Garden Expo park, Yongding Tower covers ground floor area of 8,000 square meters.
As the highest antique tower in Beijing, Yongding Tower will be used for the Yongding River’s historical and cultural exhibition.
The nine-layer wooden tower measures 69.7 meters, from which tourists can appreciate a complete picture of the expo park.
Jinxiu Valley
Formerly part of the Yongding river-bed, Jinxiu Valley has been transformed from a refuse landfill.
The valley has many traditional Beijing-featured scenic spots with beautiful flowers and waterfalls, highlighting the ecological concept of revitalizing crippled areas.
Garden Expo Lake and Wetland
Garden Expo Lake, whose surface covers an area of 90 hectares, will be a splendid landscape on the Yongding River’s green ecological belt after construction.
Covering an area of 35.5 hectares, the wetland will be used to purify Garden Expo Lake and the water system of the expo.