China International Garden Expo Opens, Blending Ecology, Culture and Urban Renewal

As the highest-level and most influential international garden event in China’s landscaping field, the China International Garden Expo has evolved significantly since its founding in 1997. From a focus on flower and horticultural displays initially, it now integrates ecological restoration, urban renewal and cultural inheritance, becoming a key initiative to accelerate comprehensive green transition and build modern people-oriented cities.

According to China News Network, the 15th China International Garden Expo opened in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province on April 15th, with a duration of 100 days. Taking "Poetic Mountains and Seas · Sharing a Green Life" as its theme, this expo centers on five transformation directions: People’s Garden Expo, International Garden Expo, Pioneer Garden Expo, Cultural Garden Expo and Citywide Garden Expo.

Emphasizing integration with urban renewal, the expo has ingeniously transformed 5 abandoned mines into a "Cliff Forest Theater" through ecological restoration, relied on the Xianhu Water Regulation Project to enhance urban resilience, and preserved the original mountains and waters with meticulous efforts, integrating garden landscapes deeply into the urban fabric.

A notable feature of this expo is the careful protection of ancient banyan trees, Wenzhou’s city tree. Yu Wei, Chief Landscape Engineer of Zhejiang Urban-Rural Planning and Design Institute and one of the chief designers of the expo, said that the design team adjusted the plan three times and optimized it more than 10 rounds to take 9 centenarian banyan trees as the core of the layout, reflecting the "People’s Garden Expo" concept.

Innovatively, the expo has built a citywide model of "1 main venue, 13 branch venues and 49 exhibition points", striving to create a "one core with multiple points, city and garden coexisting" model. Adhering to the principles of pre-operation, integrated exhibition and operation, and permanent utilization, all related buildings will not be demolished after the expo.

According to China News Network, the North Garden will be transformed into a comprehensive urban cultural and leisure park, while the South Garden will become an ecological research and study botanical garden, with supporting formats operating continuously to ensure the long-term benefits of the expo’s green resources for citizens.

During the 100-day event, a series of new scenarios themed on "ecological empowerment, cultural renewal, industrial upgrading and international dialogue" will be created, including "Garden Expo + Cultural Tourism", "Garden Expo + Youth", "Garden Expo + Life" and "Garden Expo + Technology". This expo not only showcases the beauty of Chinese gardens but also demonstrates China’s efforts in pursuing harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.