After hosting the sailing competition during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Qingdao, in East China's Shandong province, will make a bigger splash on the global stage as it welcomes visitors from around the world for the 2014 International Horticultural Exposition. It is the first coastal city to host this international event.

Design concepts and progress

Inspired by the ancient Chinese tale, Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, the expo park is located on Baiguo Mountain to the north of the city. Flowers line the main road, extending from the mountaintop at the north end of the park to the entrance to the south.

The whole garden is divided into seven color zones, all linked to the main theme. The red zone will combine exhibition gardens from China's municipalities and cities from Shandong province; the orange zone aims to bring green concepts to visitors; the yellow herb zone will display how plants fight against pollution and disease; the green zone is designed to provide a garden paradise for children; the light green area will display nature through the latest scientific applications; the blue area will display advanced low-carbon technologies for green enterprises; the purple area will be an international garden where various countries can display their horticultural characteristics.

The demolition of houses in the area has been completed and roads and infrastructure are under construction, and trees are being planted strategically to be in full bloom when the expo begins operation.

The construction of the expo park, surrounded on three sides by green hills, is expected to be completed by October 2013. A trial run will then begin, ending in March 2014, followed by the formal opening of the expo from April to October 2014.

"After visiting the Xi'an Horticultural Expo that ended on October 22, we have learned a lot," said Li Fengli, director of Qingdao Horticultural Expo Bureau and secretary-general of the Qingdao Horticultural Expo organizing committee. "The Xi'an expo park received 300,000 visitors during peak days, and our size is only one third of that at the Xi'an expo park. It is too small to hold so many people, so we are planning to expand it."

More than 5,000 suggestions have been received for the expo's logo and mascot. The logo will be announced at the end of 2011 and the mascot chosen in 2012, according to Li.

Wu Zhiqiang, chief planner of the 2011 Shanghai World Expo and vice president of Tongji University, is the chief planner for Qingdao's expo park.

Unique characteristics

Building an event in "world-class Chinese fashion; Shandong characteristics and Qingdao brand," is the objective of the expo, according to Li.

"It's the first time the horticultural expo will be held in a coastal city in China, so aquatic plants and marine plants will be of particular interest to visitors," said Li.

Baiguo Mountain contains a lotus garden boasting more than 1,200 kinds of water lilies, including some rarities, Li said. He said the organizing committee is working with the Ocean University of China to display types of marine flora.

"Participating exhibitors are expected to bring their unique plants, such as Chinese yew, but the aim is not to exhibit bizarre things. It is to display biodiversity and protect the environment while obeying the International Association of Horticultural Producers' rules," Li pointed out.

"Most people know what beer tastes like, but little have seen hop flowers. So we may exhibit Qingdao's branded enterprises such as Tsingdao Beer in the park," he added.

Wu added, however, the biggest highlight of the expo is to integrate the expo park with the surrounding décor of mountains and water, just like seven heavenly maidens scattering flowers and colorful belts to the earth.

Mountainous areas where the expo park is located are unique, said Wu, which is both challenging and fun. "In some parts of the park, we'll use the altitude difference to create distinctive visual effects and get them to hold more people at the same time. The design of the two-layer flower bridge at the entrance and the flower road are like 'falling down from the sky,' which should impress visitors when they enter the park."

In terms of innovation, the Qingdao expo will use the latest technology, such as greening the roofs of all buildings, the world's longest flower road, full bluetooth coverage and displays reviewing previous horticultural expositions, according to Wu.

In harmony with nature

"We cannot cause any damage to the environment while holding a horticultural expo," said Li.

The expo's organizing committee has invited Qingdao Agricultural University to conduct a general investigation of the plant resources. Birds and animals in and around the park as well as plants will be chosen according to environmental impact," according to Li.

Priority is given to protection of plants in the construction plan, such as watering and dust collecting equipment installed on drilling machines to control dust.

As well, the committee is working with Tongji University to utilize kitchen and bath water for irrigation.

"The sailing competition in 2008 put the city on the world map; the horticultural expo aims to maintain Qingdao's draw and garner constant attention from the world," said Li.