2011 Xian International Horticultural Expo Opens

04/29/2011 08:33:26

2011 International Horticultural Expo kicked off on April 28 in Xi'an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province in northern China, and would close on October 22, lasting about 6 months.

Xian International Horticultural Expo Opening Ceremony and cultural performances

The Xian horticultural expo has over 120 contracted participants from all over the world and will attract more than 12,000,000 visitors during 178-day-long exposition as reported by local main medias.

A huge flora sculpture in the park                               Impressive flora art work made of hundreds of boat orchids

The International Horticultural Expo is the world's highest level exposition in displaying botanic diversity and gardening as well as the latest achievements in horticultural industry. It is the third time that the Horticultural Expo has been staged in China. The previous two expositions were held in Kunming in 1999 and Shenyang in 2006 respectively.

A lady taking pictures of colorful butterfly specimens         Flora sculptures before the new landmark Chang'an Tower 

How to get to Xian International Horticultural Expo

From Xian Railway Station, you can Expo Bus No.7 (RMB 2) to the entrance of the ecological park; or take a taxi to the Horticultural Expo.

Useful Links

Customize a Xian Tour to visit the sensational International Horticultural Expo and see how the modern fashions and Xian's ancient histroical relics live together in harmony.

Background Knowledge of 2011 Xian International Horticultural Expo

Mascot: Chang'an Flower

The expo mascot Chang'an Flower

The mascot family of 2011 International Horticultural Expo

The primitive image of the Chang'an Flower is actually the city flower of Xi'an, the pomegranate blossom. Hence the pomegranate is the core element of the design shape and the color of the Chang'an flower. In addition, the flower's name is quite easy to remember, features what Xi'an is special for and echoes with the design concept of the exposition emblem. The name of the mascot shares the same meaning as the emblem.

Emblem: Chang'an Flower

 
The expo emblem

The emblem of the International Horticultural Exposition Xi'an is the "Chang'an Flower", which names after a poem "Riding on the crest of success, seeing all the flowers in Chang'an."  The design stems from the Classic of the Virtue of the Path and the Power: "The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; and Three produced All things." The emblem takes the shape of a flower composed of petals arranged in ascending order, from the triangle of the innermost layer to the hexagon of the outer layer, forming an auspicious oriental flower seal.  The emblem was designed by Chen Shaohua, a well-known graphic designer from Xi'an, who also designed the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Chinese New Year Zodiac stamps. The emblem can be interpreted as follows: THREE for the seeds of all nature, lying in an auspicious flower; FOUR for the corners of the land, propping up the vault of heaven; FIVE for the foliage from the trees, shielding the flourishing land; and SIX for running water, nurturing all life on the planet. 

Theme

Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth - a city for nature, co-existing in peace (Chinese version: Nature and People in One in Chang'an, Nature Creativity- A City for Nature, Co-existing in Peace)

Interpretation: "People" represents the city, and "Chang'an" is the ancient name of Xi'an, an ancient capital with a long history and a symbol for national prosperity and security. Hence, "Nature and People in One in Chang'an" embodies the harmonious co-existence between the city and nature. "Nature Creativity", that is "nurturing the future earth", refers to: on the basis of respecting and protecting nature, allowing nature to serve humankind by utilizing and restoring it.