Chongqing Garden Expo Park

　　The 8th China (Chongqing) International Garden Expo. Full English name: The 8th China- (Chongqing) international garden EXPO The 8th China (Chongqing) International Garden Expo is abbreviated as the Chongqing Garden Expo. The venue of the 8th China (Chongqing) International Garden Expo is abbreviated as Chongqing Garden Expo Park.

　　Theme

　　Gardens make cities more beautiful.

　　Duration

　　November 19, 2011 to April 2012. Location: Chongqing Garden Expo Park (Longjing Lake, Northern New District).

　　Organizers

　　Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, People's Government of Chongqing Municipality.

　　Executors

　　Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture, Chinese Association of Parks, Chongqing Gardening Bureau, Administrative Committee of Chongqing Northern New District.

　　Principles of the Expo

　　Highlighting features and gathering quality exhibits; encouraging wide participation and leading the development of gardens; organizing the event in a frugal yet high-quality and efficient manner; extensive publicity to expand influence. Goals: To promote the improvement of urban landscaping quality and the development of horticulture nationwide, advance the application of new materials, technologies, and concepts in landscaping, explore and practice new market-oriented approaches to organizing expos, and guide societal attention and pursuit of a harmonious living environment in the future. The 8th China (Chongqing) International Garden Expo will grandly open in Chongqing on November 19.

　　The park consists of four major parts

　　The Garden Expo Park is divided into four functional areas: the entrance area, scenic area, exhibition area, and ecological area. Entrance Area: Mainly includes three entrances—the main entrance, east secondary entrance, and west secondary entrance. Scenic Area: Located on the hillside between the flatland exhibition area and the mountaintop ecological area, offering excellent visual appeal and viewing perspectives. It follows a “one axis, two stars, one ring” layout, featuring attractions such as Migratory Bird Wetland, Crouching Dragon Rock, Twin Pavilion Waterfall, Longjing Academy, Wetland Flower Stream, Green Hill Thatched Cottage, Maple Fragrance Autumn Stop, Collection Garden, Cloud Top Viewpoint, Leisure Garden, Bayu Garden, Lakeside Six Scenes, Wind-Rain Corridor Bridge, and Mo Wen World. Exhibition Area: Based on land use planning, relatively flat areas within the park are used to arrange city exhibition gardens. These include 10 zones: Northern Gardens, Jiangnan Gardens, Lingnan Gardens, Min-Taiwan Gardens, Modern Gardens, Collection Garden, Western Gardens, Hong Kong-Macao Gardens, International Gardens, and Corporate Gardens, showcasing a total of 127 gardens including various Chinese garden styles and exotic international gardens. Ecological Area: Established to maintain the overall excellent mountain ecological environment of the park. It serves as a green backdrop for all gardens in the park and a natural treasure for preserving biodiversity of flora and fauna.

　　Emblem and Mascot

　　The emblem resembles a variant of the Chinese character for “flower,” as well as a gracefully fluttering butterfly. Its yellow, red, and green sections represent the letters C, Y, and B—the abbreviations of “China” and the pinyin for “Garden Expo.” They also symbolize the fruit, flower, and leaf veins of plants. Mascot: Based on the prototype of a “sprout,” it depicts a playful, confident, and adorable seedling character. Lively and full of confidence, it holds beautiful hopes for the city’s future, reflecting the image of the mountain city and the resilient, unyielding spirit of Chongqing people. It expresses the warm welcome of Chongqing residents to guests from home and abroad, as well as their confidence and determination to host a successful Garden Expo. It symbolizes how gardens bring boundless vitality to a city. The mascot is named “Shan Wa” (Mountain Child)—affectionate, simple, and distinctive. Chongqing is also known as the Mountain City, and the name “Shan” highlights its regional identity. “Wa” means child, representing hope and dreams. “Shan Wa” conveys the urban concepts of “Chongqing,” “Nature,” “Hope,” and “Dreams.”

　　Activities Schedule

　　(1) Indoor exhibitions by participating cities. (2) Exhibition of new gardening technologies, equipment, and materials. (3) Flower arrangement, potted plants, and rock appreciation exhibition. (4) Calligraphy, painting, and photography exhibition. (5) Exhibition of achievements in building the “Five Chongqings,” showcasing accomplishments in recent years in the five aspects: Livable Chongqing, Accessible Chongqing, Forest Chongqing, Safe Chongqing, and Healthy Chongqing. (6) Chongqing Landscaping Achievements Exhibition, themed around “Landscaping for the Benefit of the People,” displaying recent landscaping construction achievements in Chongqing and looking forward to the future development of the city’s landscaping endeavors. (7) Bayu Ancient Town – Photography Works by He Zhiya. (8) Wuling Culture Exhibition. (9) Theme Summit of the 8th Garden Expo.

　　Event Periods

　　(1) City Activity Days. (2) “District and County Mass Cultural Activity Week.” (3) “Exhibition of Excellent Bayu Folk Arts.” (4) A large-scale lantern festival themed “Gardens Make Cities More Beautiful.” (5) “March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters” garden and flower appreciation. (6) Visits and flower appreciation by municipal model workers and recipients of the “May 1st” Labor Medal. (7) Exhibition of Bayu folk customs. (8) “Garden Expo Cup” Marathon. (9) The First Chongqing Wedding Expo. (10) Essay contest for primary and secondary school students: “My Visit to the Garden Expo.” (11) Cycling race around the park. (12) Tai Chi performance by a thousand elderly participants themed “Sunset Glow.” (13) The 15th Chongqing “Bird-Loving Week” event. (14) “Famous Painters’ Visit to the Garden Expo.”

　　Slogans

　　1. Be a good host, host a great Garden Expo. 2. Landscaping benefits the people. 3. Listen to the night rain of Bashan, appreciate gardens from around the world. 4. Meet in Red Chongqing, share the green Garden Expo. 5. Chongqing for everyone, gardens everywhere. 6. Garden Expo scenery intoxicates visitors, Mountain City charm leaves guests with lasting memories. 7. Chongqing: “Gardens” bring friends from afar. 8. A city of landscapes, a view full of gardens. 9. Explore the wonders of the Three Gorges, admire the beauty of world gardens. 10. Poetic and picturesque garden scenes, vibrant and colorful Chongqing city.

　　Principles

　　Highlighting features and gathering quality exhibits; encouraging wide participation and leading the development of gardens; organizing the event in a frugal yet high-quality and efficient manner; extensive publicity to expand influence.

　　Goals

　　Promote the improvement of urban landscaping quality and the development of horticulture nationwide, advance the application of new materials, technologies, and concepts in landscaping, explore and practice new market-oriented approaches to organizing expos, and guide societal attention and pursuit of a harmonious living environment in the future.

　　Tickets

　　Admission Ticket

　　The 2011 Chongqing Garden Expo was held at Chongqing Garden Expo Park by Longjing Lake in the Northern New District. The event ran from September through April of the following year, with the official opening on November 19. Regarding the much-anticipated ticket information for the 2011 Chongqing Garden Expo, the organizers announced that the ticket price during the expo period would be 40 RMB per person, while the temporary fare for the sightseeing battery car would be set at 10 RMB per person. Seniors are eligible for a 50% discount, and children can enter for free.