'Beijing Day' to celebrate exhibition's kickoff

China's capital will hold "Beijing Day" events, up to 50 activities until Friday, as part of the 2019 International Horticultural Exhibition that kicked off on April 28.

The municipal authority said on Tuesday that activities will include an opening ceremony, governmental policy presentation, art performance, intangible cultural heritage and a flower arrangement show during the three-day event.

Lin Bin, deputy head of the Beijing Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the major organizer of the event, said it's a precious opportunity for Beijing to use such a world-level expo as a platform to show Beijing's history, culture, modern development and ecological achievement.

"We hope that 'Beijing Day' will raise the city's international influence and promote communication on culture, economy and trade between Beijing and cities in other countries through a big number of activities as well as a policy conference," she said.

Around 300 guests who are diplomats, governmental officials, entrepreneurs and international students in Beijing will attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Day on Wednesday morning.

Artists from China and Central and Eastern Europe will perform dance, acrobatics and singing during the ceremony. After the ceremony, 100 artists from 12 countries will continue to perform for the following three days.

"It will be a cultural feast for all visitors to the expo," Lin said.

Huang Xinyang, a 30-year-old from Yanqing district where the expo is being held, said Beijing is becoming more open to the world by holding world-level events, and she would love to see the performances. "I'm happy that such a huge expo is being held in my hometown and I will fully enjoy it in the following days," she said.

The expo will feature around 2,500 cultural activities held by more than 60 countries and international organizations, along with the demonstration of state-of-the-art technologies, according to the expo organizer.