Preparation work for the International Horticultural Expo 2011 in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, has been going smoothly and the event will have a trial opening on April 20. The event will officially start on April 28 as scheduled according to the mayor of Xi’an, Chen Baogen, at the press conference in Beijing on March 15.

Chen said that construction of the Expo Park and its surrounding supporting facilities had all been finished. The four landmarks of the Expo, Chang’an Tower, Theme Pavilion, Greenhouse and Guangyun Entrance, and the three special service areas, Romance by the Ba River, Southeast Asian Street and European Avenue, were all completed on November 15, 2010. Now the organizers are focusing on the internal decoration, exhibition arrangement and equipment testing.

The final touches to exhibits in the major venues are currently being made. One hundred cultural relics will be displayed at the Chang’an Tower, among which the most eye-catching is set to be the Ten National Cultural Treasures of Shaanxi province. The Theme Pavilion will be equipped with a state-of-the-art 360-degree movie theatre. The Greenhouse will display nearly one hundred types of exotic plants and ecological landscapes from different regions and climate zones on the earth. Visitors interested in exotic animals will be able to enjoy the company of pandas, crested ibis, golden monkeys and antelopes in the Four Treasures Pavilion.

Over 5,000 shows and events will be held during the period of the Expo, ranging from performances to parades to flower arrangement contests and exhibitions, as well as, seventeen forums and annual meetings such as the 63rd Annual Meeting of AIPH and the Euro-Asia Economic Forum. A total 300 thousand volunteers have been recruited to help with the activities and aid visitors.

The Xi’an Expo is the largest horticultural exposition in history. However, in order to promote its green, low-carbon and environmental-friendly theme, the Expo will have a simple but elegant opening ceremony instead of an extravagant celebration on April 28. The organizers are expecting a potential 12 million visitors to come, with 5.75 million entrance tickets having been sold since they went on sale last October.

More information about the expo can be found on its official website. (www.expo2011.cn )