Close-up of the Chang'an Tower at the Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition. Photos Provided to China Daily

The International Horticultural Exposition is getting its third China experience this year, in the Chan-ba Ecological District of Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Previous ones included the 2006 Shenyang Expo and the 1999 Kunming Expo.

Xi'an is the oldest of the Chinese capitals so it has plenty of historic treasures, the terra cotta warriors, for example, but its natural beauty has been underrated.

It is located near the Qinling Mountains, which have diverse fauna and flora, and four of their treasures (the panda, golden monkey, crested ibis and takin) will be used to represent Xi'an's nature and environment.

Over the past few years, Xi'an has paid greater attention to environment protection, as evidenced by the expo slogan, "Green Leading the Trend", and 45 percent of it is covered by forest.

And its citizens now can expect a blue sky more than 300 days out of the year, compared with 175, back in 2002.

The expo focuses on natural beauty in a cultural context, with the ideas of peace and harmony between nature and mankind and nurturing the earth - a natural city, co-existing in peace.

The expo site covers a 418-hectare area, and is expected to receive 12 million visitors over its 178 days.

Some of its highlights are four landmarks, four special gardens, and nine master gardens.

Every architectural element is expected to blend with the environment and the buildings are meant to flatter rather than challenge the local terrain. Pathways are interwoven and heritage comes with the latest advances in green technology.

The expo's emblem and mascot reflect this spirit. The emblem is the Chang'an flower, whose name comes from a line of poetry, "Riding the crest of success, seeing all the flowers of Chang'an". It consists of four layers of petals, containing three, four, five and six petals, from the inner to the outer.

Its meaning is: three, for the seeds of nature, contained in an auspicious flower; four, for the corners of the earth, holding up the vault of heaven; five, for the foliage of trees, shielding the land; and six, for running water, which nurtures life.

The mascot is an animated cartoon character, cheerful and lovely. It draws its inspiration from the city's plant, the pomegranate. It will greet visitors from home and abroad.

A visit to the Xi'an International Horticultural Expo will be a refreshing and enriching experience. It provides a contrast of antiquity and modernity, man-made wonders with natural beauty, and technological advances with classical wisdom.

A walk around the site is a rare opportunity to appreciate natural beauty and human endeavor, a chance to contemplate the past and the future or reflect on the relationship of spirituality and physical existence.

The tickets are affordable level, with a off-holiday price of 100 yuan, and a national holiday price of 150 yuan.

One perk with the expo ticket is the discounted admission fee for 144 neighboring tourist attractions for the duration of the expo.

Kaifeng Garden, one of the most popular sites for both Chinese and foreign visitors.

(China Daily 04/29/2011 page6)