Aerial view of main venue of the Expo Photo/provided by Chengdu Eastern New Area

On September 20, the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu (hereinafter referred to as "Expo") and press conference was held in Beijing, where the mascot, emblem, flower and slogan of the Expo were officially unveiled.

The Expo that is set to be held from April 26 to October 28, 2024, will host more than 2000 special activities and is expected to receive about 5 million Chinese and foreign visitors. With a planned area of 3,633 hectares, the main venue of the Expo will be located in Jiangxi River Ecological Green Corridor, core of Chengdu Eastern New Area. Four sub-venues, themed with Wenjiang Sichuan-Style Bonsai Art, Pidu Flower Industry, Xinjin Modern Agriculture and Qionglai Biodiversity Conservation, were also planned in peripheral districts and cities.

Choosing Chengdu as the host city for the Expo is not only a recognition of its natural environment, but also a recognition of its garden culture. Chengdu is located at the junction of mountains and basins, with vast plains and towering mountains reaching up to an altitude difference of 5,000 meters, making it unique among all the world's megacities. The extremely high altitude difference has made it a paradise for flora and fauna.

Why the main venue is located in Chengdu Eastern New Area? A relevant person of the New Area noted, "The main venue of the Expo is less than 25 minutes' drive from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, and only 1.2 kilometers from Sancha Station of Metro Line 18. Therefore, the location provides convenience for tourists at home and abroad."

Chengdu Sancha Lake Photo/provided by Chengdu Eastern New Area

Besides, in some industry insiders' eyes, from the perspective of the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and urban transformation and development, it is more in line with the future development trend of Chengdu to place major international expositions at the "core of Chengdu-Chongqing development".

The theme of the Expo is "Park City, Beautiful Living", which adheres to the concept of "green, low-carbon, sustainable conservation, sharing and inclusiveness". Moreover, Chengdu is the first city to prepare a "low-carbon management plan" among the host cities of the Expo, and the highly-anticipated Expo will adopt the concept of low-impact development to create a green and low-carbon ecological park.

According to the Expo's organizing committee, 114 exhibitors, including 39 foreign exhibitors have completed site selections in the Expo Park so far. The Expo is getting closer and closer.

In addition, the framework of Sanhua Building, the landmark building of the Expo, has also been basically completed. The completion of various venues marks the countdown to the final presentation of the main venue of the Expo, which is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023.

Effect picture of Sanhua Building Photo/provided by Chengdu Eastern New Area

After the Expo later next year, Chengdu Eastern New Area will transform the venues into a permanent urban function project, so that the buildings can be organically combined with the improvement of urban functions, carrying industrial layout, and creating consumption scenes.

In fact, since the beginning of planning, "demand-oriented, sustainable use" has been determined as one of the principles of the Expo. Judging from the experience of previous Expos, this will help turn short-term horticultural exhibitions into long-term urban dividends.

Taking advantage of the important opportunities of the Expo, Chengdu Eastern New Area has also released a list of opportunities. Based on its own high-quality ecological background and the international aviation hub being built as the basis for development, the Expo will be transformed into a long-term urban dividend for the New Area, so as to realize its integration goals.

ABOUT THE EXPO

The International Horticultural Exhibition is an international exposition recognized by the Association of International Horticultural Producers (AIPH).

As the highest level of professional international exposition in the gardening and horticulture industry, it is known as the "Olympic" event in the world of gardening and horticulture, with a history of over 60 years.

In January 2021, AIPH granted Chengdu the right to host the 2024 Expo, making it the second city in southwest China to host the Expo after Kunming in 1999.