CRI听力:Beijing horticultural expo site conducts trial run

Authorities in China have held a trial opening of the site for the upcoming Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition. The opening ceremony is coming up on April 2

About 30,000 people, mainly local residents in Yanqing District, were the first visitors to the 500-hectare expo site at the foot of the Great Wall north of the city. With two weeks to go, the 162-day expo is poised to impress an estimated 16 million visitors from home and abroad.

Over 110 countries and international organizations, as well as 120 non-official exhibitors, have confirmed participation. It marks the highest attendance in the expo's history. Ye Dahua with the Coordination Bureau says Beijing will do a remarkable job in presenting this expo to the world.

"The preparation work for the horticultural exhibition has been going on in a busy and orderly manner. The construction of the main venues has been completed. Now we are accelerating decoration and facilities installation for comprehensive rehearsal and testing in the next stage," says Ye Dahua.

China's 31 provincial-level regions along with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will showcase their iconic cultural elements at the event.

The Inner Mongolia Garden is set to present landscapes of the vast Gobi Desert and the Jinlianchuan Prairie. Designer Liu Yi says over 2-thousand plant samples and 1,200 soil samples will be on display in the garden.

"Every quadrat of the prairie actually has more than 20 plants, and we choose typical plants like golden queen, sedge and dandelion. This yellow flower is golden queen. It resists drought and cold. Even when it is minus 20 degrees Celsius, the flower will survive and bloom the next year," says Liu Yi.

Yunnan Garden will showcase its diversified natural features by dividing the garden into 12 uniquely designed sections. Project manager He Jichun says Yunnan Garden consists of 12 scenic spots from south to north according to different climates in the province.

"Our theme is 'green life, beautiful home'. In fact, our beautiful home, especially in Yunnan, originates from the natural mountainous landscape, a very natural and harmonious coexistence between human and nature. The landscape of mountains and rivers is the foundation, and the next step is to make the plants more distinctive to visitors," says He Jichun.

The Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition is scheduled to last from April 29th to October 7th. This is the second time for China to host the world horticultural exposition at its highest level. It was held in Kunming, Yunnan Province 20 years ago.