Int'l horticultural expo to hold 2,500 cultural activities

BEIJING - Nearly 2,500 cultural activities will be held throughout the 162-day International Horticultural Exhibition slated to open next Monday in Beijing.

Besides large-scale activities such as the opening ceremony and the China Pavilion Day, visitors can also enjoy special activities like float parades and performances of world ethnic cultures, according to the organizer.

"These cultural activities are organized by more than 60 countries and international organizations, making the expo a great platform for diverse cultures across the globe and showing the harmony between humans and nature," said Wang Hong, deputy mayor of Beijing.

Open from April 29 to Oct 7, the expo will exhibit flower, fruit and vegetable farming at the foot of the Great Wall in the capital's Yanqing district.

All the preparation work including construction of the site as well as interior decoration for 110 official and 120 non-official exhibitors have been completed.

This is the second time for China to hold such a high-level horticulture expo. The southwestern Chinese city of Kunming held the expo in 1999.