The 2011 International Horticultural Exposition held in Xi'an promises to be China's next must-see event.

The 183-day Expo will be held from April 11 to October 11 in Xi'an Chanba Ecological District. Xi'an is the third Chinese city to host the event, preceded by Kunming in 1999 and Shenyang in 2006.

Total investment is 2 billion yuan ($300 million), according to the official website xasyh.com.

The Expo's park covers 418 hectares, 188 of which are covered by water. It will feature four buildings - a 90m-high tower, a nature pavilion, a greenhouse and a main gate.

Master gardeners from Germany, Spain, the UK, the US, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and China will each design a subpark. All nine will remain open to the public after the Expo concludes.

The Expo is expected to draw participants from 40 foreign and 60 Chinese cities. It will bring some 12 million people to Xi'an.

Visitors will have the chance to enjoy a variety of garden styles, to view flowers and plants from all over the world and to hone their horticultural skills.

Xi'an was chosen to host the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition by the Association of International Horticultural Producers (AIPH) at its 59th congress.

In July 2008, Doeke Faber, president of AIPH, paid a visit to the exposition site, praising its development. His positive remarks were echoed by Shinya Wada, vice president of AIPH, who visited the site in September 2009.

(China Daily 08/11/2010 page7)