by Xinhua writers Pan Lijun, Zhang Mocheng

PHILADELPHIA, the United States, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Decorated with bamboos and giant panda sculptures, a unique Chengdu Garden at the ongoing 2023 Philadelphia Flower Show has become a popular destination for visitors.

Many people are lining up in front of the booth to take photos with a pair of Sichuan Opera-style panda sculptures and a supersized panda made of flowers, and others are flocking to appreciate a variety of bamboo artifacts while immersed in a bamboo forest installed at the garden.

"I love the signage and the cute panda cartoons here," Daniel Sanchez, a Philadelphia lawyer told Xinhua, referring to the sought-after photo spot at the entrance.

"It's very gorgeous, very well done, and very welcome to have it here," said the 28-year-old, who visited the Chengdu Garden with his wife Elizabeth over the weekend.

"It's so wonderful and welcome to have this fit of Chinese culture here in Philadelphia," said Elizabeth.

Enchanted by the vibrant beauty and the profound culture of China, the newlyweds said they have put the country on their travel list.

Co-organized by Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, the Sino-American Business and Travel Association, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), the Chengdu Garden also features bamboo weaving technique demonstrations and Sichuan Opera face-changing performances.

Chengdu, a horticultural city that is home to giant pandas, has been the first Chinese city to exhibit at the 194-year-old Philadelphia Flower Show.

The collaboration aims to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China through horticulture, according to the organizer.

"We are so excited to have Chengdu here in the Philadelphia Flower Show, exhibiting with the wonderful bamboo art that is part of the cultural tradition of Chengdu," PHS President Matt Rader told Xinhua.

"It is fascinating to see how craftsmen and artists work with bamboo as a plant to create amazingly beautiful things," he added.

"It's pretty interesting," Brady Simberg, a 12-year-old boy from the U.S. state of New Jersey, told Xinhua after having a hands-on experience of bamboo weaving at the Chengdu Garden.

"The pandas are cool and look pretty," the sixth-grader said, adding that he was also impressed by the tea cups and other Chinese cultural elements displayed at the booth, which reminded him of the items his dad brought back from China when teaching there.

The Chengdu Garden also witnessed a romantic story on Saturday when Carmen Aliberti, a New Jerseyan, proposed to his girlfriend Micky.

"We were just looking for a nice place to do it, and it's caught our eyes," said Carmen. "It was the only place that she kept taking pictures of."

Joe Schaff, an engineer from the U.S. state of Maryland, said it is a good thing to have Chinese aesthetic and Chinese design at the show.

"That's a very creative idea, and the exhibition is very nice," said Schaff, wearing a T-shirt with the image of the Great Wall, a souvenir he bought in China during his trip to China several years ago.

"There's so much to explore there. I was only there for about five days or so. I'd like to go back and see more of it," he said.

Founded by the PHS in 1829, the Philadelphia Flower Show is the largest and longest-running horticultural event in the United States, which runs from March 4 through March 12. Enditem

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