Promotion Event of “Expo 2024 Chengdu” Held in the International Garden Exposition

Promotion Event of the International Horticultural Exposition 2024 Chengdu Held in the International Garden Exposition 

—Invitation to Hefei amid the snowfall from Chengdu, a vibrant and hospitable park city with snowy mountain skyline

After more than three years of meticulous preparation, the International Horticultural Exposition 2024 (“Expo 2024 Chengdu”) is going to be held in Chengdu next year. The global brand promotion event of Expo 2024 Chengdu was held in the Chengdu exhibition area within the International Garden Exposition area (Hefei) on the morning of December 16th, a beautiful timing when the entire Hefei City was draped in its first snowfall of the year. During the promotion event, the mascot of Expo 2024 Chengdu, “Tong Mei’er”, extended Chengdu’s sincere invitation to local tourists.

Surrounded by lush trees and bamboos, the Chengdu exhibition area in the International Garden Exposition (Hefei) covers about 2,200 square meters. It is intricately themed on the verses at the hands of some great poets in ancient China, which describe the beautiful scenery of Chengdu; for example, the entire layout draws inspiration from Li Bai’s “Grass, trees, clouds, and mountains indeed a picturesque sight, nature’s beauty woven in colors so bright.” and “Washing silk by the clear river’s endless flow, the fabric’s elegance will naturally show.” and also from Du Fu’s “The snow on western ridge viewed through window so pure, even after a thousand autumns’ worth a scene to endure.” and “My grassy abode west of the bridge’s endless span, however humble it still firmly stands.”

In September of this year, the 14th International Garden Exposition was staged in Hefei. With the theme “Ecological Priority, People’s Expo”, the Hefei Garden Expo highlights the people-centered concept of “building a garden expo for the public in the urban center” and carries the unique feature of “building a garden expo park upon a decommissioned airport”. It is elaborately crafted into a backyard garden for urban development and a large meeting place for the local people.

Five statues modeled after Chengdu’s signature, the giant panda, set up a scene in which it was as if these adorable animals were enjoying a comfortable “Chengdu life” amid the lush bamboo forest—feasting on hotpot and sipping on Gaiwan Tea (tea served in a lidded bowl). With ingenious craftsmanship, large swaths of bamboo have been woven here to resemble a miniature “Xiling Snow Mountain”. Here a beautiful masterpiece painted with landscape art unfolds, telling Chengdu’s vibe as “a Park City beneath the snow-capped mountain so unique, and a merry home faintly discernible under the streetlight’s mystique”.

 Happiness in Park City Chengdu

The promotional event of Expo 2024 Chengdu was held at “Shu Yun Xuan”, a wooden pavilion steeped in distinct Western Sichuan style. In the event, You Shaoli from the Communications Department of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu Executive Committee, introduced the preparatory work and highlights of Expo 2024 Chengdu.

Expo 2024 Chengdu, with the theme “Park City, Beautiful Habitat”, will open on April 26, 2024, and will last for 186 days.

The main venue, with a planned area of 3633 mu (about 605.5 acres), is located in the beautiful Jiangxi River Ecological Corridor at the foot of Longquan Mountain and by Sancha Lake in the Chengdu Eastern New Area. Meanwhile, four thematic sub-venues have been under planned construction: Xinjin Sub-venue themed on Modern Agronomy, Wenjiang Sub-venue themed on Sichuan Bonsai, Pidu Sub-venue themed on Flower and Nursery Stock, and Qionglai Sub-venue themed on Biodiversity Protection. These sub-venues constitute a “garden concerto” that displays the unique Chinese horticulture and beautiful China in the new era.

As the top-notch professional event of its kind, the International Horticultural Exposition is referred to as “the Olympics” in the gardening and horticulture industry, with a history of over 60 years. The opportunity falling upon Chengdu to be the host city next year is also a telling argument of the city’s endeavor to build a park city demonstration zone guided by the new development concept. Upon the event’s inauguration, there will be thousands of colorful events concerning gardening, flower arrangement, competitions, and other cultural or artistic activities in the 114 gardens, where unique floral plants and fine gardening products from all over the world are exhibited, thus promoting the advancement of horticultural technology worldwide and fostering harmony between humans and nature.

At the promotion event, representatives from Chengdu Eastern New Area (where the main venue of Expo 2024 Chengdu is located) released the opportunities list for investment and cooperation in Expo 2024 Chengdu to the professionals in the Hefei gardening and horticulture industry. Representatives from Chengdu’s Pidu District made a presentation of the Pidu Sub-venue, and the Chengdu Culture & Tourism Development Group Ltd. introduced some boutique tourism routes in Chengdu to the people of Hefei.

“Expo 2024 Chengdu has an inspiring effect on students majoring in gardening or forestry like me since it informs me of insights into garden design or biological cultivation. In particular, it provides great inspiration for my future flower design or follow-up cultivation of forests.” said Wang Cheng, a student majoring in forestry at Anhui Agricultural University, after attending the promotion activity.

“Face-changing” and “tea ceremony” give you a close glimpse into life in Chengdu.

 The promotional event was styled to resemble a traditional Chengdu tea-house, where the bamboo chairs, bamboo stools, and tea served in lidded bowls were all imbued with the authentic “vibe of Chengdu”. As soon as the “face-changing” artists took the stage in sync with the drumbeat of the Sichuan Opera, the space in front of “Shu Yun Xuan” was packed with viewers.

The artists conducted a graceful performance to show their tea-infusing skills as part of the Sichuan tea ceremony. With a lift of the long-spouted teapot, the tea trickled down to the bowl, and the aroma of “Chengdu tea” joyfully diffused.

Chengdu, a city named one of the “Happiest Cities in China” for 15 consecutive years, shares many similarities with Hefei, as both cities boast an excellent ecological environment and the latent traits to be called a park city. Furthermore, both cities are known for their poetic vibe as their mountains, waters, and people coexist in harmony, with their city structures blending perfectly into the natural landscape.

Expo 2024 Chengdu will continuously showcase China’s commitment to ecological protection and sustainable development while also extending the philosophy of coexistence and poetic lifestyle in Chengdu to the world. Chengdu and Hefei will use Expo 2024 Chengdu as an opportunity to work together in green and low-carbon development, in the gardening and horticulture industries, and in advancing ecological progress, thus furthering mutually beneficial cooperation opportunities in broader fields.

Chengdu, a vibrant and hospitable park city with snowy mountain skyline, sincerely invites everyone to come and to gain a personal perception of the city’s rich history, its clear waters and fragrant grass, and the brilliant prospects as a fragment of the grand Chinese-style modernization amid the implementation of the five-sphere integrated plan.