The exposition will be held from April 30 to October 31 in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

It is only the second time for a Chinese city to host the exposition. Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, hosted the exposition in 1999.

For the Shenyang residents, the exposition means not only a beautiful garden in front of their homes, but also substantial progress for their city.

Chen Zhenggao, secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, gestures at a press conference in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 29, 2006. He said the exposition will be a highly profitable one for the city, as it will bring enormous business opportunities to the city's relevant sectors, such as restaurants, hotels, taxis and department stores. [chinadaily.com.cn]

Chen Zhenggao, secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the exposition will be a highly profitable one for the city, as it will bring enormous business opportunities to the city's relevant sectors, such as restaurants, hotels, taxis and department stores.

According to Chen, the city's total expenditure for hosting the exposition will not exceed 250 million yuan (US$31 million), which includes 100 million yuan (US$12.3 million) for the garden's infrastructure, 100 million yuan on the construction of the Shenyang-Qipanshan Highway and 50 million yuan (US$6.2) on the renovation of the Hunhe River and several islands near the garden.

The exposition's ticket income alone will reach 400 million yuan (US$49.4 million), based on a conservative estimation of eight million visitors.

The price of admittance to the garden is 50 yuan (US$6.2), only half that of the Kunming International Horticultural Exposition, with the goal of giving more people the chance to enjoy world class horticultural works.

"We will have at least 8 million tickets sold out before the exposition's opening," said a staff member of the exposition's organizing committee.

Wang Ying, vice mayor of Shenyang, said the exposition would be a golden opportunity to raise the city's profile and popularity, and to attract more foreign investors.

"The exposition will make Shenyang a star dancer on the world stage," Wang said.

Wang said the city is planning to hold several national trade fairs, exhibitions, symposiums or summits during the exposition to create more business opportunities.

According to Wang, Shenyang has become a popular place of foreign investment with 44 world's top 500 enterprises having established branches in the city.

Wang praised many foreign enterprises, such as BMW, Michelin and Koh Brothers for their active participation in the construction of the exposition garden.

Expo enhances construction

Besides business opportunities, the city's municipal construction will also enjoy a boom thanks to the exposition.

"By hosting the exposition, the level of Shenyang's municipal construction and administration will progress by five to ten years," said Yang Yazhou, assistant mayor of Shenyang.

Yang said the municipal government has carried out various large-scale projects to enhance city's environment and transportation since Shenyang won the bid to host the exposition in September 2004.

For example, a thorough renovation will be given to the Hunhe River running across the city this year; the obstruction in the downtown area's waste water outlets will soon be cleared up; the square before the Shenyang Railway Station will take on a new look.

The projects have achieved fruitful results so far, making the city greener, cleaner and more beautiful.

Yang believes the exposition will also be a stimulus to the tourism industry and help form a tourism belt in Liaoning Province, with Shenyang as its centre.

As one of the largest cities in Northeast China, Shenyang has rich cultural and historical resources, such as the Shenyang Imperial Palace, which has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as an extension of the Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The tourists to Shenyang are very much likely to visit nearby attractions in the province, such as the White Pagoda in Liaoyang and the coastal city of Dalian.

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