Inner Mongolia gets spotlight at horticulture expo

The Inner Mongolia autonomous region is showcasing its green thumb at three exhibits in the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, as part of the expo's "Inner Mongolia Day", which begins Thursday.

The event will run through May 18 at the expo site in the capital's Yanqing district.

Plants such as the Chinese herbaceous peony and white birch have already attracted thousands of visitors.

A floral wall, up to 28 meters long, draws tourists' attention at the Inner Mongolia exhibition area inside the China Pavilion. Featuring more than 2, 000 local species, the wall shows grasslands, forests and the region's Gobi desert.

As the second-largest province in China by desert coverage, the total desert area of Inner Mongolia has reached nearly 130,000 square kilometers.

In recent years, the region has made big progress in afforestation, as some unique technologies are being used for ecological protection and grasslands restoration.

Covering an area of 9,450 square meters, the Inner Mongolia garden in the expo park chose seven typical animals to demonstrate harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

A special big data platform has also been established to show features of the region, such as rivers, lakes and wetlands.