China Flower Expo opens

The 10th China Flower Expo opened on Friday at Shanghai's Chongming Island.

Given that this year marks the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the expo has been themed "Blossom with a Chinese Dream".

Situated in the center of Chongming Island, the expo spans more than 589 hectares and has gathered companies and horticulture associations from around world to display nearly 30 million flowers -- including more than 1,000 new types-- till July 2.

Visitors will get to view 180 outdoor gardens and 64 indoor exhibitions during the expo.

According to the organizer, the event has attracted 189 exhibitors, the most in the expo's history.

Jiang Zehui, president of China Flower Association, said, "China has a long history of flower cultivation and is rich in plant diversity…developing the modern flower industry will help meet Chinese people's growing demands for a better life."

To date, the planting area of flowers in the country stands at 1.5 million hectares and generates a trade volume of $622 million, making China one of the biggest flower producers and traders in the world, said Jiang.

Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, said that hosting the flower expo is a push for the city's green development and would boost Chongming's construction of a "world-class ecological island".

"We will make the expo a good example of sustainability and cooperation between domestic and international parties," Gong said.

Around 300 activities and several contests for garden design and flower arrangement are taking place during with the expo.