Flower show venue to give visitors a taste of local life

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China's capital is continuing its preparations for the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, which opens on April 29. Today, we look at the flower show's main venue, a five-square-kilometer exhibition area that combines natural beauty with cultural flair.

Beijing Park is designed with the city's culture in mind. Local-style streets and courtyards lend a distinctive atmosphere to the space. It starts with a memorial archway, which opens onto a lane. Then, a traditional courtyard featuring beautiful gardens and pavilions.

"We used red walls as the background to show the way that ordinary people live in the hutong alleyways and courtyard homes of the city around us," said Li Xiao, an engineer at Beijing Park. "Through some construction techniques and gardening, we want to show the lifestyle of Beijingers, as well as the city's new face."

Buildings at the venue for the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition have taken shape. /VCG Photo

But the architecture only serves as a backdrop for the stars of the show. Those would be the plants themselves. Familiar local standbys – like magnolias, crabapples and the Chinese rose – all make an appearance. But so do exotic new flower breeds cultivated by researchers and academics.

"This is our opportunity to show visitors that Beijing doesn't only have a profound history and culture, but also modern research and development. We can now compete with other countries in horticulture," said Li.