An evocative designer's sketch of the Maritime Silk Road Cooperation Garden. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]
The 15th China International Garden Expo will be held from April to July 2026 in Wenzhou — the coastal city in East China's Zhejiang province — featuring 34 city exhibition gardens.
The centerpiece will be the Maritime Silk Road Cooperation Garden, located on the southern slope of Xianmen Mountain. Centered on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, it blends cultural and spice design elements from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe — using landscape as its language to recount Wenzhou's glorious history as a thousand-year commercial port.
Peace and tranquility: An idyllic artist's impression of the garden. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]
Inspired by ancient navigation maps, the garden's winding paths mimic ship routes, while terraced platforms evoke rolling ocean waves. Visitors can explore spice gardens that grow cinnamon, pepper, herbs and rosemary, with multilingual displays sharing their journeys across China.
Another design of the garden shows blue and purple blooms with reflective water creating visual harmony. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]
The garden offers a five-sense experience: Blue and purple blooms with reflective water to create visual harmony; gentle waves and distant ships bells provide sounds; exotic spices blend with local camellias for scent; a tea and global coffee tasting area offers diverse flavors — while tactile elements like stone sculptures, metal anchors and smooth ceramic roofs engage the sense of touch of visitors.
A Cooperation Wall made of rocks, shells, wood and inscriptions from Silk Road countries symbolizes cultural exchanges and friendships. The main pavilion's roof — composed of over 3,000 ceramic tiles — glimmers like ocean waves in the sunlight.
After the expo, the garden will be transformed into the spice section of the Wenzhou Botanical Garden — adding a spice museum and maritime culture interactive exhibits to preserve the Maritime Silk Road legacy.
As a vivid reflection of the Belt and Road Initiative, the garden blends tradition with digital and immersive technology — bringing ancient maritime stories to life in the new era.
