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A sprawling megapark complex fea- turing myriad gardening exhibits， artificial wetlands， advanced landscaping and diverse architectural works is set to breathe new life into a forgotten corner of the Chinese capital.
Hosted by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Beijing Municipal Government， the Ninth China（Beijing） International Garden Exposition covers a total area of 513 hectares and consists of 128 themed gardens as well as many integrated architectural and landscaping elements.
The coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning Province hosted the inaugural event in 1997. This year’s expo began on May 18.
The fittingly named Beijing Garden Expo Park was built specifically for the event and chosen for its location along the Yongding River on the undeveloped southwestern outskirts of the capital.
The park has already received 500，000 visitors as of June 3. Qiang Jian， expo organizer and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry， expects that number to grow to 10 million before the expo concludes on November 18.
Rebirth of barren land
Fengtai District， a relatively undeveloped area outside the urban core， was chosen as the site for the Garden Expo Park due to a strategic urban development plan set forth by the Beijing Municipal Government in 2009， says Ji Yan， the district mayor.
He says Beijing is an international city， but its development is not balanced. The southern region of Beijing has lagged behind the rest of the capital for a long time.
The capital has been taking measures to develop its southern region since 2010， which has transformed the area from being heavily reliant on low-end industries such as cement factories and coal mines， into a bustling commercial center and home to innovative technology companies.
The establishment of the expo is part of these efforts. The Beijing Garden Expo might become a new mode of investment in the capital.
In 2010， the southern region of Beijing received a huge investment of 290 billion yuan（$47.3 billion） as part of a three-year urban development project. The garden expo is regarded as the centerpiece of the development plan， says Ji.
Previously， the local government did not place environmental protection high on its agenda of urbanization and industrialization. Ji believes the time is right to rectify unsustainable development patterns. In 1997， authorities classified the Yongding River as unsuitable for use as a drinking water source. Excessive use of fertilizers and industrial waste rendered it barely useful for irrigation purposes， although factory closures and agricultural management improved water quality slightly in the 2000s.
Moreover， a 140-hectare landfill on the west bank of the river rendered the area unattractive as a residential neighborhood.
The three-year development plan transformed the area formerly occupied by the landfill with a picturesque Splendid Valley. Landscapers sealed the area to prevent seepage of waste materials and planted vegetation.
Ji emphasized the importance of new opportunities to boost continued development of southwestern Beijing.
Even transportation to the expo park has been improved. A new subway line connected the park and the Yongding River area to the city’s main subway loop on May 5， and 24.2 km of new roads have been built， according to Gu Xiaoyuan， publicity director of the expo.
Yue Shulan， 43， a former resident of Changxindian Town， witnessed the transformation of her dilapidated village into a massive expo park complex.
“The road near my home was narrow and bumpy. In only a year， it has been turned into an eight-lane highway，” Yue said excitedly. She and fellow villagers were relocated to new homes during the construction process.
Wang Fenghua， the spokesperson of Changxindian Town， said， “Over the past three years， all 5，300 villagers have moved to new apartments allocated by the local government as part of compensation for land acquisition by the expo.”
Integrating the construction of the expo with renovation of undeveloped areas represents a great stride in improving the livelihood of local people.
Besides， the garden expo is built to be a permanent themed park， which will become a new pillar for local tourism and create more job opportunities for local residents.
Yue now works as a park custodian and earns a monthly salary of 2，000 yuan （$326）. She expressed satisfaction with her new job. “I once worked downtown as a nanny and maid. Though I earned more before， I had to spend almost two hours on the commute from my home to downtown at that time. Now my workplace in the garden expo is a very convenient 10-minute walk from home.”
Like Yue， more than 100 people in her village have been employed by the expo as security staff and gardeners. In addition to offering job opportunities， the local government helps relocated residents to earn revenue from the land they gave up as shareholders of commercial developments.
A garden of gardens
As a country with many people and little arable land， China’s gardens traditionally incorporate aspects of architecture and landscaping in a holistic manner， representing the wisdom of living in harmony with the environment and the dialectic balance between artifice and wilderness.
Five main gardens correspond to five representative cultural regions of China： Beijing， Chongqing， Fujian， Jiangsu and Guangdong.
The Beijing Garden reflects the majesty and grand atmosphere of the imperial capital in dynastic times. Located at the edge of the Splendid Valley， a two-storey edifice accentu- ates the display in royal colors reminiscent of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace.
Jiangsu Province is home to the famed gardens of Suzhou， often described as a paradise on Earth for its unparalleled beauty and magnificent architecture. Distinct from the grand royal gardens in north China， Suzhou’s were private property， embodying the unique characteristics and aesthetic needs of their owners.
One exhibit transcends gardening in quite a different way： The Chengdu Garden features two giant pandas visiting from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Young pandas Qiqi and Zhizhi were both born in 2009.
Panda breeder Zhang Hao， 28， told Beijing Review， “Pandas are beloved for their cute and peaceful nature. We carried two pandas from remote Chengdu to Beijing， expecting to show the most charming creature from Sichuan and promote the idea of animal protection through the expo.”
These two pandas have lived at their new home in the expo for almost half a month.
“Visitors are always excited when they see pandas. In order to avoid overstimulating [the pandas]， we have to limit daily visitors，” he said.
Giant pandas are endangered wildlife. In recent years， Chinese scientists have made progress in artificial breeding of pandas. “Our ul- timate goal is to return all pandas to the natural world and sustain their population in the wild，”Zhang said.
In addition to panda-related information， the Chengdu Garden displays other pictures and knowledge of rare animals and plants in Sichuan Province， aiming to enlighten people to the path of ecological conservation， Zhang added.
Three landmarks feature prominently in the overall layout of the park： the Museum of Chinese Gardens， Main Pavilion and Yongding Pagoda. The museum is the country’s first nationallevel of gardening. According to organizers， it has collected 4，000 items through donations， auctions and purchases， aiming at the stewardship of traditional Chinese culture and research of innovations in modern gardening and park management.
“Tourists can get a general and in-depth understanding of Chinese classical gardens， modern gardens and afforestation skills，” Qiang said.
The Main Pavilion resembles a China rose when it is viewed from above. It is the main venue for holding meetings， seminars and other events during the expo.
The Yongding Pagoda is the tallest land-mark， a modern replica of traditional wooden tower architecture with a spectacular view from the top.
Green highlights
Landscaping is a voracious consumer of water resources. To sustain the vast garden expo complex， organizers racked their brains to design ecofriendly water supply and irrigation systems.
“From the very beginning， the expo is designed to be sustainable and eco-friendly，” Qiang said.
According to Qiang， the garden expo adopts many new material and ecological technologies to save energy and water resources and reduce carbon emissions， such as solar-powered street lamps and wind turbine generator system as well as a water recycling system.
“The expo mainly relies on 120 million cubic meters of reclaimed water supplied by two treatment plants，”said hydraulic engineer Liu Xueyuan of the Beijing Institute of Water Planning and Design （BIWPD）， regarding the park’s yearly water consumption. Runoff contributes another 2 million cubic meters for irrigation， and the Guanting Reservoir in north Beijing can supply another 10 million or 30 million cubic meters for back up.
Guanting Reservoir and the Yongding River no longer supply drinking water to the capital， as there are many pollutants in the source， but efforts are being made to meet standards for irrigation purposes.
“If we use machines to process and purify the water， the cost is too high，” Liu said.
Engineers designed an artificial wetland to process water for the expo.
“Hydrogen nitride and nitrogen are the primary pollutants. We planted a lot of aquatic plants and laid eco-friendly filter materials at the bottom of the Yuanbo Lake，” said Wei Wei， a water recycling engineer of the BIWPD. “The technology that we use to create the wetland is the same used to build the artificial lake in Beijing Olympic Park built in 2008. This eco-technology has been proven sustainable over the past five years，” Wei said.
Wei said that an “intelligent irrigation control center” conserves water consumed by the expo park.
“I come here to visit the Beijing Garden Expo because its eco-technology appeals to me，” said Liu Bin， a student at Beijing Forestry University.
A gardener at the expo explained to him that the lawns and flower gardens are installed with shower nozzles. The irrigation system is integrated within an automatic control center which collects real-time weather， temperature and humidity data and coordinates efficient irrigation throughout the park.
Qiang cited estimates by environmental experts that vegetation at the garden expo could absorb 100，000 tons of smog particles， and 246 hectares of artificial wetland can process 80，000 cubic meters of recycled water a day.
Altogether， water management and park maintenance not only show potential to improve water quality， but also block winds to reduce dust particles in the air and diminish the dramatic temperature difference between day and night in the arid climate.
Some of the themed gardens also exhibit green technology. Wuhan Garden， for example， focuses on carbon emission reduction and sustainable architecture. The roof of its pavilion is covered with grass， reducing the indoor temperature in summer. The moat is equipped with an energy-saving water recycling system.
In the Taiwan Garden， volunteers distribute reusable water bottles to visitors. Lee Ying-ying， a volunteer from National Quemoy University of Kinmen Island， said， “Unlike other disposable beverage bottles， our plastic bottles can be reused many times.”
“Visitors consume a large quantity of bottled water every day during the expo and end up disposing of numerous bottles. In order to reduce the environmental burden， we suggest visitors use bottles made from other materials or reusable plastic bottles like ours，” Li said.
Hosted by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Beijing Municipal Government， the Ninth China（Beijing） International Garden Exposition covers a total area of 513 hectares and consists of 128 themed gardens as well as many integrated architectural and landscaping elements.
The coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning Province hosted the inaugural event in 1997. This year’s expo began on May 18.
The fittingly named Beijing Garden Expo Park was built specifically for the event and chosen for its location along the Yongding River on the undeveloped southwestern outskirts of the capital.
The park has already received 500，000 visitors as of June 3. Qiang Jian， expo organizer and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry， expects that number to grow to 10 million before the expo concludes on November 18.
Rebirth of barren land
Fengtai District， a relatively undeveloped area outside the urban core， was chosen as the site for the Garden Expo Park due to a strategic urban development plan set forth by the Beijing Municipal Government in 2009， says Ji Yan， the district mayor.
He says Beijing is an international city， but its development is not balanced. The southern region of Beijing has lagged behind the rest of the capital for a long time.
The capital has been taking measures to develop its southern region since 2010， which has transformed the area from being heavily reliant on low-end industries such as cement factories and coal mines， into a bustling commercial center and home to innovative technology companies.
The establishment of the expo is part of these efforts. The Beijing Garden Expo might become a new mode of investment in the capital.
In 2010， the southern region of Beijing received a huge investment of 290 billion yuan（$47.3 billion） as part of a three-year urban development project. The garden expo is regarded as the centerpiece of the development plan， says Ji.
Previously， the local government did not place environmental protection high on its agenda of urbanization and industrialization. Ji believes the time is right to rectify unsustainable development patterns. In 1997， authorities classified the Yongding River as unsuitable for use as a drinking water source. Excessive use of fertilizers and industrial waste rendered it barely useful for irrigation purposes， although factory closures and agricultural management improved water quality slightly in the 2000s.
Moreover， a 140-hectare landfill on the west bank of the river rendered the area unattractive as a residential neighborhood.
The three-year development plan transformed the area formerly occupied by the landfill with a picturesque Splendid Valley. Landscapers sealed the area to prevent seepage of waste materials and planted vegetation.
Ji emphasized the importance of new opportunities to boost continued development of southwestern Beijing.
Even transportation to the expo park has been improved. A new subway line connected the park and the Yongding River area to the city’s main subway loop on May 5， and 24.2 km of new roads have been built， according to Gu Xiaoyuan， publicity director of the expo.
Yue Shulan， 43， a former resident of Changxindian Town， witnessed the transformation of her dilapidated village into a massive expo park complex.
“The road near my home was narrow and bumpy. In only a year， it has been turned into an eight-lane highway，” Yue said excitedly. She and fellow villagers were relocated to new homes during the construction process.
Wang Fenghua， the spokesperson of Changxindian Town， said， “Over the past three years， all 5，300 villagers have moved to new apartments allocated by the local government as part of compensation for land acquisition by the expo.”
Integrating the construction of the expo with renovation of undeveloped areas represents a great stride in improving the livelihood of local people.
Besides， the garden expo is built to be a permanent themed park， which will become a new pillar for local tourism and create more job opportunities for local residents.
Yue now works as a park custodian and earns a monthly salary of 2，000 yuan （$326）. She expressed satisfaction with her new job. “I once worked downtown as a nanny and maid. Though I earned more before， I had to spend almost two hours on the commute from my home to downtown at that time. Now my workplace in the garden expo is a very convenient 10-minute walk from home.”
Like Yue， more than 100 people in her village have been employed by the expo as security staff and gardeners. In addition to offering job opportunities， the local government helps relocated residents to earn revenue from the land they gave up as shareholders of commercial developments.
A garden of gardens
As a country with many people and little arable land， China’s gardens traditionally incorporate aspects of architecture and landscaping in a holistic manner， representing the wisdom of living in harmony with the environment and the dialectic balance between artifice and wilderness.
Five main gardens correspond to five representative cultural regions of China： Beijing， Chongqing， Fujian， Jiangsu and Guangdong.
The Beijing Garden reflects the majesty and grand atmosphere of the imperial capital in dynastic times. Located at the edge of the Splendid Valley， a two-storey edifice accentu- ates the display in royal colors reminiscent of the Forbidden City and Summer Palace.
Jiangsu Province is home to the famed gardens of Suzhou， often described as a paradise on Earth for its unparalleled beauty and magnificent architecture. Distinct from the grand royal gardens in north China， Suzhou’s were private property， embodying the unique characteristics and aesthetic needs of their owners.
One exhibit transcends gardening in quite a different way： The Chengdu Garden features two giant pandas visiting from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Young pandas Qiqi and Zhizhi were both born in 2009.
Panda breeder Zhang Hao， 28， told Beijing Review， “Pandas are beloved for their cute and peaceful nature. We carried two pandas from remote Chengdu to Beijing， expecting to show the most charming creature from Sichuan and promote the idea of animal protection through the expo.”
These two pandas have lived at their new home in the expo for almost half a month.
“Visitors are always excited when they see pandas. In order to avoid overstimulating [the pandas]， we have to limit daily visitors，” he said.
Giant pandas are endangered wildlife. In recent years， Chinese scientists have made progress in artificial breeding of pandas. “Our ul- timate goal is to return all pandas to the natural world and sustain their population in the wild，”Zhang said.
In addition to panda-related information， the Chengdu Garden displays other pictures and knowledge of rare animals and plants in Sichuan Province， aiming to enlighten people to the path of ecological conservation， Zhang added.
Three landmarks feature prominently in the overall layout of the park： the Museum of Chinese Gardens， Main Pavilion and Yongding Pagoda. The museum is the country’s first nationallevel of gardening. According to organizers， it has collected 4，000 items through donations， auctions and purchases， aiming at the stewardship of traditional Chinese culture and research of innovations in modern gardening and park management.
“Tourists can get a general and in-depth understanding of Chinese classical gardens， modern gardens and afforestation skills，” Qiang said.
The Main Pavilion resembles a China rose when it is viewed from above. It is the main venue for holding meetings， seminars and other events during the expo.
The Yongding Pagoda is the tallest land-mark， a modern replica of traditional wooden tower architecture with a spectacular view from the top.
Green highlights
Landscaping is a voracious consumer of water resources. To sustain the vast garden expo complex， organizers racked their brains to design ecofriendly water supply and irrigation systems.
“From the very beginning， the expo is designed to be sustainable and eco-friendly，” Qiang said.
According to Qiang， the garden expo adopts many new material and ecological technologies to save energy and water resources and reduce carbon emissions， such as solar-powered street lamps and wind turbine generator system as well as a water recycling system.
“The expo mainly relies on 120 million cubic meters of reclaimed water supplied by two treatment plants，”said hydraulic engineer Liu Xueyuan of the Beijing Institute of Water Planning and Design （BIWPD）， regarding the park’s yearly water consumption. Runoff contributes another 2 million cubic meters for irrigation， and the Guanting Reservoir in north Beijing can supply another 10 million or 30 million cubic meters for back up.
Guanting Reservoir and the Yongding River no longer supply drinking water to the capital， as there are many pollutants in the source， but efforts are being made to meet standards for irrigation purposes.
“If we use machines to process and purify the water， the cost is too high，” Liu said.
Engineers designed an artificial wetland to process water for the expo.
“Hydrogen nitride and nitrogen are the primary pollutants. We planted a lot of aquatic plants and laid eco-friendly filter materials at the bottom of the Yuanbo Lake，” said Wei Wei， a water recycling engineer of the BIWPD. “The technology that we use to create the wetland is the same used to build the artificial lake in Beijing Olympic Park built in 2008. This eco-technology has been proven sustainable over the past five years，” Wei said.
Wei said that an “intelligent irrigation control center” conserves water consumed by the expo park.
“I come here to visit the Beijing Garden Expo because its eco-technology appeals to me，” said Liu Bin， a student at Beijing Forestry University.
A gardener at the expo explained to him that the lawns and flower gardens are installed with shower nozzles. The irrigation system is integrated within an automatic control center which collects real-time weather， temperature and humidity data and coordinates efficient irrigation throughout the park.
Qiang cited estimates by environmental experts that vegetation at the garden expo could absorb 100，000 tons of smog particles， and 246 hectares of artificial wetland can process 80，000 cubic meters of recycled water a day.
Altogether， water management and park maintenance not only show potential to improve water quality， but also block winds to reduce dust particles in the air and diminish the dramatic temperature difference between day and night in the arid climate.
Some of the themed gardens also exhibit green technology. Wuhan Garden， for example， focuses on carbon emission reduction and sustainable architecture. The roof of its pavilion is covered with grass， reducing the indoor temperature in summer. The moat is equipped with an energy-saving water recycling system.
In the Taiwan Garden， volunteers distribute reusable water bottles to visitors. Lee Ying-ying， a volunteer from National Quemoy University of Kinmen Island， said， “Unlike other disposable beverage bottles， our plastic bottles can be reused many times.”
“Visitors consume a large quantity of bottled water every day during the expo and end up disposing of numerous bottles. In order to reduce the environmental burden， we suggest visitors use bottles made from other materials or reusable plastic bottles like ours，” Li said.