Celebration blooms adorn Chang'an Avenue

Floral displays featuring more than 350 flower varieties, including 50 new and improved varieties debuting this year, adorn Beijing's Chang'an Avenue as part of the annual National Day celebrations.

The displays include 10 three-dimensional flower beds along the avenue and a giant flower basket at Tian'anmen Square, which was arranged on Saturday to mark the upcoming 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, according to the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau.

Of the 50 varieties being used for the first time, 22 were domestically bred.

Beijing also introduced and trial-planted more than 200 flower varieties this year, with 28 selected for use in the National Day displays, including dahlia, veronica and lantana, it said.

Native plants with potential for wider landscaping use, including Leptodermis oblonga and Cotoneaster integerrimus, are also on display. "Caofeidian Yellow-Leaf Rice", a variety valued for both its ornamental and edible qualities, is being used for the first time.

The 10 flower beds along Chang'an Avenue feature themes ranging from revolutionary history and emerging industries to green development, urban renewal and garden city development.

At the center of Tian'anmen Square, the giant flower basket stands 18 meters high, with the basket itself reaching 16 meters and its tray measuring 12 meters in diameter.

The south side bears the inscription "Blessings to the Motherland, 1949-2026", while the north side reads "Celebrating National Day, 1949-2026". The basket features 15 types of flowers and five types of fruit, as well as five newly designed flower forms and four leaf forms.

Residents have also contributed to this year's displays. The Office of Beijing Greening Commission held a selection event on Sept 18, choosing 1,000 potted flowers grown by residents and students for display along Chang'an Avenue, said Tang Shuifeng, a researcher with the office's liaison division.

Among those drawn to the displays was 40-year-old Beijing resident Li Wei.

His age coincides with the 40-year history of National Day three-dimensional floral displays at Tian'anmen Square.

"The flower beds return every year, but they look different each time," Li said.

He recalled looking up at the displays as a child and said he now makes a point of returning each year to photograph them and look for changes.

"For someone who has grown up alongside the flower beds, every record I make is a keepsake of my own for the motherland," he said.

Li said this year's basket particularly caught his eye, with its flowers and fruit arranged in a more open composition.

"It carries a sense of anticipation and hope for the future," he said.