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Shenyang prepared for Int'l horticultural expo

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-04-25 13:50

The China Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition 2006 will take place from April 30 to October 31 in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The event is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Construction, the China National Tourism Administration, Liaoning provincial government, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Flower Association.

The upcoming horticultural event will showcase diversified species, featured architecture and colourful activities, seeking to promote the awareness of environmental protection.

Compared with previous sessions, this expo will be highlighted by an even greater variety of plant species, Yang Yazhou, assistant to the mayor of Shenyang and head of the organizing committee, told China Daily in a recent interview.

With a core area of 2.5 square kilometres, the exposition venue was built based on an existing botanical park in Qipan Mountain, 17 kilometres northeast to the urban areas of Shenyang.

More than 900 kinds of trees and 7,000 kinds of flowers will be shown at the expo.

In addition, a sub-venue of the expo, a 5.6-square-kilometre bird island with pristine environment, will provide visitors with a close approach to the world of wild birds.

The island is an important habitat for more than 100 species of at least 10,000 wild birds.

Yang said, "As the event stresses, Nature is home to us all."

Featured architecture will be another highlight of the expo.

Visitors will have the opportunity to go through varied architecture styles with local Chinese and foreign characteristics, when wandering around various exhibition parks in the main venue, such as the Beijing Park, the Shenzhen Park and the Netherlands Park.

Four landmark constructions of the expo, including a rose park, a leaning-tower-style steel building, a lily-shaped watchtower and a comprehensive exhibition hall, are predicted to draw much attention.

In the history of the international horticultural expo, some themed buildings finally turned out to be symbols of the host countries.

For instance, Eiffel Tower, built for the expo held in Paris in 1889, is now regarded a typical French landmark.

Preparations in full swing

With the China Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition 2006 around the corner, the host city of Shenyang is in full preparation mode.

Despite a short time of just 20 months for preparation, all construction including 53 domestic exhibition parks, 23 foreign exhibition parks, 24 themed parks, four landmark buildings, and three featured landscapes were completed this March.

Municipal authorities have invested 250 million yuan (US$31 million) in the expo park construction, Yang revealed, adding that plus related non-government-funded projects, total expenditure is estimated to be around 300 million yuan (US$37.5 million).

Yang said the expo organizers have arranged special training lessons for safety staff working for the expo to ensure safety at the event.

Student volunteers from the Liaoning Administrators College of Police and Justice will also participate in the service group during the event.

To prevent possible harm resulting from thunder and lightening, the expo will have anti-thunder-and-lightening provisions.

Furthermore, doctors as well as four ambulances from the city's hospitals will be available on the spot to provide timely healthcare services.

Building an image

Distinguishing it from other sessions, this expo is the first to be organized by a city rather than a country or province, Yang said.

"It will set a new model for operating such a large international horticultural event."

This expo is expected to attract more than 10 million tourists from home and abroad, including students who can access this botanical paradise free of charge.

Such a large number of tourists will give strong impetus to the development of local tourism and service sectors.

In terms of ticket revenues alone, the city is anticipated to earn 400 million yuan (US$50 million), Yang said.

"However, our goal is not for profit," he said. "Hosting the expo will help revamp the image of our city and spur growth of local economy."

Yang cited a business tour experience as an example to illustrate the importance of the event on investment promotion.

At a meeting during that visit, Chen Zhenggao, secretary of the Shenyang Committee of the Communist Party of China, introduced Shenyang to participants, all potential investors.

The strong interest they showed in Shenyang's status as a host city of the upcoming expo provides convincing evidence that holding such a well-known international event is an effective advertisement for the host city.