Garden Expo puts spotlight on Hefei initiative

Event preserving the past to ensure bright future via an array of renovation projects

The 14th China (Hefei) International Garden Expo opened on Tuesday in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, revealing an initiative aimed at showcasing the best parts of the city that are free of massive construction projects.

It is a testament to the foresight of organizers who have made superb use of every old building and ancient tree in optimizing the layout of urban green spaces and park systems.

Mayor Luo Yunfeng told a press conference that since the initiative's successful launch in March 2020, the city has planned the 12.7 square-kilometer Luogang Park in the downtown core area, giving the "best land "to ecology and to the people.

The admission-free expo, with the theme of "Ecological Priority, People's Expo", covers an area of 3.23 sq km and will run for three months.

Located on the original site of Hefei Luogang airport, the expo park is built in the central area of the city, adjacent to the Hefeinan, or Hefei South, high-speed railway station. The original runway, which is 3,000 meters long and 200 m wide, has been renovated into an outdoor lawn to serve the functions of "reception hall", children's playground and tourist attraction.

Renovation of the old buildings, particularly the terminal building with a total area of 160,000 square meters, was designed to retain the city's history while at the same time serving its urban functions via the well-preserved and protected existing buildings and vegetation, which reflect the vitality of the times.

Construction of the exhibition park is based more on quality than quantity. With 31 domestic exhibition parks and seven international exhibition parks, each with unique characteristics, it fully displays masterpieces of landscape art that showcase the splendid garden culture.

Ecological priority

Maximizing use of the geographical landscape and natural endowments of the park, the organizers incorporated existing resources to build an ecological garden exhibition area, with the proportion of green space exceeding 75 percent.

In accordance with Hefei characteristics and preservation of the environment, no large trees were cut down, no expensive species were planted and no large trees were moved into the expo site.

Some 10,000 trees have been preserved, with local species accounting for more than 80 percent of the park's total. Additionally, its topography is designed to adapt to the surrounding geography that created a biological corridor that serves as a habitat for animals.

The large lawn built on the site of the former airport created nearly 300,000 sq m of sunken green space. The park's pavement uses permeable materials, and grass channels on both sides of the main road are utilized for rainwater transmission. The park's water system is interconnected with the local river and balanced by overflowing rainwater through the network.

For the people

"The organizers are willing to give prime urban locations to the people. In addition to Luogang Park, which contains the main expo area, this marks the first time an expo park has been built in the central urban area," Luo said. "Also, we insist the expo does not charge admission fees, which is another first."

In order to provide a platform for leisure and entertainment for the local residents and for enterprises to release their value, Luogang Park does not have physical walls. During the planning phase, organizers continuously updated and optimized the design proposals by collecting and evaluating public opinion.

For children, there are facilities such as playgrounds, screaming fountains, insect halls and pet parks. For older youth there are football fields, basketball courts, skate parks, and light and shadow running walls, while for the elderly there are walking trails, rest stations, pavilions and other leisure amenities. For the disabled, pathways and accessible toilets, parking spaces, elevators, and other service facilities are provided.

The expo's public transportation system is equally well-developed, with more than 60,000 parking spaces and eight bus lines making it easy and convenient for residents to visit the park even during peak periods.

Supporting activities

The expo has carefully planned 33 pursuits in six categories that blend tradition with fashion, elegance and folk customs to highlight sightseeing, fun activities and delicious food.

In addition to performances of traditional opera by famous singers and artists from Anhui province, more than 500 talent show performances and interactive cultural activities are scheduled.

A food carnival event will be held to bring together brand flagship stores, showcasing characteristic cuisines from dozens of provinces and cities across the country, as well as the 16 cities in the province.

And to make it more convenient for people to appreciate flowers and purchase them affordably, the city is launching a sales event from Sept 20 to Oct 23, during which high-quality exhibition and sales enterprises from all over the country will have nursery plants, flowers, woodcarvings and bamboo carvings for sale at good prices, thanks to the government bonus.

Another highlight is the Garden Expo Town in the central area of Luogang Park, covering an area of 5,000 sq m. After the expo, it will be developed as a key commercial landmark.

Currently, all commercial properties for the first and second phases of the town have been fully leased, with a total of 79 signed merchants. There are 84 street shops, including 46 theme restaurants, and characteristic food and other specialties from Chongqing, Nanning, Jinan and other cities will be available for exhibition and sales.

Luo noted that since the successful bid in March 2020, with the support and guidance of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the leadership of the provincial Party committee and government, Hefei has systematically created beautiful scenery and is polishing its cultural and tourism brand through the expo.