In addition to plants and flowers, sculptures by both domestic and foreign artists are on show at the expo garden. Provided to China Daily

Creations from some of world's best landscape artists set for 178-day gala

"A month from now the ancient capital of Xi'an will welcome friends from afar to participate in the largest-ever world horticultural expo and experience the city's glorious history, splendid culture and recent development," Xi'an Mayor Chen Baogen announced at a recent news conference in Beijing.

Chen is also vice-president of the Organizing Committee for the 2011 Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition that will open on April 28 and will last until October 22.

With 109 indoor and outdoor exhibition sections, this year's expo is the largest in its history on both land and water.

Chen noted that several of the world's top horticultural masters from the Chinese mainland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Denmark will exhibit their masterpiece designs at the expo.

Chinese designs will focus on landscapes with rich cultural connotations using plants frequently mentioned in the Shijing - or Book of Poems - a collection of the nation's earliest works, and those from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Chen said such artistic creations highlight the theme of the expo - "Chang'an, the ancient capital with harmony between man and nature".

Chang'an, or everlasting peace in Chinese, is the ancient name for Xi'an when it served as the capital of many dynasties.

Well-prepared

The mayor said Xi'an - now the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province - is well prepared for the upcoming gala, with major facilities in the expo garden and its surroundings already complete.

Landmark buildings in the garden include 99-meter-tall Chang'an Tower built in the style of the Tang Dynasty style, a Theme Pavilion, the greenhouse and the Guangyun Gate.

The tower will be the venue for exhibits of famous cultural relics from Shaanxi and the nation.

Rebuilt Guangyun Gate, the former water gate to the ancient city of Chang'an, is the main entrance to the expo garden.

The garden itself surrounds Guangyuntan, or Guangyun Lake, the shipping terminus for water-borne trade in the ancient capital.

Grains and other commodities were shipped from across the country and unloaded at Guangyuntan to supply a city that once was the largest metropolis in the world.

It was the first city in the world that had a population of more than 1 million and served as the gateway to the ancient Silk Road.

Chen said other completed infrastructure includes roads, bridges and most of the landscaping.

Water, electricity and gas supply and telecommunications are expected to be ready at the end of this month.

Chen said trial operation of the expo garden will start on April 20, eight days before the official opening of the event.

He said 12 million tourists are expected to visit the expo garden during the 178-day expo.

The ancient city of Chang'an served as the nation's capital for the longest period in all of China's history, a period that spanned 13 dynasties including the powerful Han (206 BC-220 AD) and Tang (618-907).

(China Daily 03/28/2011 page12)