Beijing rolls out flowers to welcome National Day

As a part of the celebration for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a huge flower basket arrangement in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square and other related decorations along the capital's Chang'an Avenue were installed on Wednesday.

The basket and the other 10 flower terraces bearing good wishes to the country and showing the nation's achievements over the past 75 years will be displayed along Chang'an Avenue for the upcoming National Day holiday, which will be held from Oct 1 to 7, the Beijing Municipal Forestry and Parks Bureau announced on Wednesday.

The main floral arrangement in the center of the square, which has been contained in a huge flower basket since 2012, used to be filled with flowers that are made to resemble fruits and rice crops. This year, the arrangement includes flowers that are made to look like vegetables and fruits in the basket.

The arrangement is 18 meters high, and the combined decorations in Tian'anmen Square will cover an area of 5,050 square meters, the same as last year.

Meanwhile, 75 new types of plants — 26 domestic ones and 49 imported — will be used for the first time in the floral decorations along Chang'an Avenue, according to the bureau.

Since 1984, Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing has hosted huge displays to celebrate the National Day holiday, with their designs evolving over the years.

"Beijing has started the construction of a 'garden city' this year. The flower decoration is not only a celebration for this important anniversary, but also delivers its concept in building itself into a real garden city," said Liu Mingxing, head of the bureau's afforesting division.

"Thus, we tried to use various types of plants to display different aspects of the city and its people in the design of the flower terraces," he said. "Also, we called on our residents to join the efforts of building our garden city and send their best wishes to our nation by gardening."

To increase public participation, the city organized an event in which they picked 75 flowers from citizens' homes and planted them into one of the flower terraces along Chang'an Avenue.

Along West Chang'an Avenue, unique floral arrangements can be seen.

One terrace, named "flower village", reminds people of rice fields in western Beijing, giving a peaceful, countryside vibe. At another called "flower park", a self-driving flower delivery car moves through a lovely garden, showing how technology can make life better.

In addition to the main decorations on Chang'an Avenue, many other themed flower terraces and decorations will be set up in major locations in the city, including subway stations and bridges along the 3rd Ring Road to create a celebratory atmosphere for the upcoming holiday.

People can also enjoy the floral displays online through a mobile app and learn about their special features.

Li Xiaoli, a 60-year-old Beijing resident, said she has visited Tian'anmen during the National Day holidays for many years, as it has become a family tradition.

"I love to see those beautiful flowers, which always remind me of my good life in this country," she said.