The Beijing Horticultural Expo is not just about pavilions and plants. 5G has been applied so visitors can have the first-hand experience of the cutting edge technology. CGTN went on a tour of the expo's 5G exhibition center to find out how smart the expo is.

The 5G exhibition hall was built by China Telecom, one of the main operators in China. Inevitably, we had to battle against the huge crowds of visitors for the Labor Day holiday. The tourists in this particular area are not here for selfies with rare plants, but totally fresh experiences.

The first thing we saw was the humanoid robot. Thanks to 5G's ultra-speed and fewer delays, it allows the robot to imitate what the staff is doing simultaneously. And this is just a sample to show how 5G tech may be used in the future, particularly in remote operation like driverless vehicles and unmanned factories.

Another thing that drew crowds is the VR helmet that enables visitors to watch livestream footage of drones flying around the expo venue: 5G is at work in its data transmission between the drone and the helmet.

And finally, we come to the expo's smart management system which involves more than 5,000 items and facilities inside the expo, such as the trash can here. The bottle I threw inside was tracked and, when the can is full, an alert will be issued on the screen to warn management. This technology can be applied to the maintenance of over 3,000 manhole covers among others. It took staff here just six months to build this complex network.

"Thanks to 5G's broader network connections, we've connected 5G with sensors installed in each facility. We've tested the whole system numerous times. This could be a miniature version of a future smart city when 5G is fully put into use," said Li Lumin, staff at China Telecom's Beijing Bureau.

The world is testing 5G for the Internet of Things. And many are counting the days until its commercial launch next year.