The 11th China Chrysanthemum Exhibition began to blossom on Sept 26 and will continue to bloom until mid-November.

Chrysanthemums and other ornamental flowers from across the country are displayed during the harvest season.

The expo is spread over four venues - the Beijing International Flower Port, Beihai Park, Beijing Flower Garden and Beijing Botanical Garden.

The gardening pageant attracts florists and floral experts from 38 cities nationwide to present their latest flower varieties and cultivation techniques.

More than 200 flower species will be presented during the floral festival, the organizing committee says.

Visitors can enjoy the outdoor chrysanthemum show from Sept 26 to Oct 23 and the indoor floriculture and flower arrangement competitions from Oct 24 to Nov 16.

The Chinese capital hosted chrysanthemum cultivation for thousands of years, which is why it was selected as the city's official flower in 1987.

Traditional Chinese literature exalts the chrysanthemum as one of the four "flower literati" alongside plum, orchid and bamboo. It is also widely extolled in poems and paintings.

Admiring Beijing's chrysanthemums has been an autumn pastime for centuries.

Beijing has worked to boost the chrysanthemum industry in recent years, especially in the areas of flower arrangements and developing edible varieties.

The 52-day event is hosted by the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture, the Beijing Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, the Beijing Administration Center of Parks and the Beijing Flower Industry Association.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/29/2013 page15)