The long-expected Expo will unfold a celebration of the horticultural culture in Chengdu from April 26 to October 28, and during the 186-day period, the horticultural “Olympiad” make Chengdu a focus for gardeners, flower lovers and tourists from across the world.

For the first time, the International Horticultural Expo is to be staged in the mode of "1 main venue + 4 sub-venues," with each location with individual themes offering its unique charm. The main venue, situated in Chengdu's Eastern New Area, at the heart on the axis of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, is to be made a scene representing the visions of the Park City in the future, while the four sub-venues in Wenjiang District, Pidu District, Xinjin District, and Qionglai City, will each spotlight different aspects of Sichuan's horticultural culture, including the bonsai art, the floricultural industry, agriculture, and biodiversity, to present a colorful tapestry of  harmony of nature and humans. 

Highlight I: Main Venue in Eastern New Area

"The Expo's main venue is designed to provide a comprehensive sensory feast with a synergistic mix of horticulture-themed tours and activities," said an official from the administration of   Chengdu Eastern New Area, "The venue will be an elaborate layout consisting of 112 gardens in five sections, to showcase a tapestry of horticultural culture from the world. Besides the display of plants and flowers, the venue will be a showcase of art and cultures, a display of the  philosophy of green development and the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature."

Two themed tourists routes, the "International" and "Chengdu”, with the main venue as the center, will offer visitors the "one-stop" immersive experience during the Expo.

The "International" route will carry visitors to 31 pavilions, including the International Friendship Pavilion and The Royal Botanic Gardens from the UK, epitomizing the essence of global culture. One can take a walk along International Gourmet Avenue, take a ride on the Tianfu Eye Ferris wheel, and enjoy the culinary delights from across seven continents.

The "Chengdu" route connects 81 pavilions including the Chinese Horticulture and Tianfu Habitat zones. Guests can stroll on the Hibiscus City Street, relish the local flavors, or embark on a night tour of Jiangxi River, immersing themselves in this vibrant and hospitable city at the foot of snow-capped mountains.

Over 1,000 interactive programs in nine categories, including the "Melodies of the Expo," will be put on stage during the Expo, to provide visitors with a wide range of activities.

The main venue in Chengdu Eastern New Area is a project of creative designs, with its landscape highlighting the features of the landscape and the theme exhibitions, to provide comprehensive tourist experiences from ecological exploration, sports and leisure, cultural exhibitions, and culinary tours at scenes as of below:

Sancha Lake, Danjing Viewing Platform, and Sanyu Mengshi Cultural Village

For over 130 programs of unique experiences like star watching, lakeside leisure, and bird watching;

Sporting venues such as Tianfu International Circuit, Sancha Lake Marathon Track, and Lingqifang Elevated Stadium

For sports events such as the China Endurance Championship and Chengdu Tianfu Greenway International Cycling Race offer immersive experiences to visitors;

Cultural venues, such as Zhiye Library, Dongyi Art Museum, and Fuxiang Bookstore, deliver over 500 special events, including the Wu Zuoren Panda Exhibition and Huchao Music Season, offering a slice of Chengdu's rich cultural depth and artistic vibrancy.

Gastronomic zones like "Yuyang Neighborhood" and "Fushi Gathering," along with the regional tasting map, promise a taste of Chengdu's exquisite flavors.

More than 10 hotels and B&Bs, such as the Waterfall Hotel and Jiangxi Nanli, with over 14,000 premium rooms, provide a range of stays.

A spokesperson of the Chengdu Eastern New Area stated that in gearing up for the Expo 2024 Chengdu, they have crafted these unique cultural and tourism scenes, ensuring that visitors can thoroughly delight in the manifold splendors of our park city and the enchanting beauty of its lakes and mountains while savoring the best of world horticulture.

Highlight II: Wenjiang Sub-venue

Showcases Amazing Sichuan Bonsai at Sanyi Horticulture (Subtitle)

Wenjiang Sub-venue, embracing its deep-rooted bonsai culture and floral legacy, circles around the theme "Joyous Wenjiang - A City of Bonsai." This venue is set to astonish the world by spotlighting the proud, intangible cultural heritage of Sichuan bonsai, and aims to elevate its global stature.

Notably, the Sichuan Bonsai Art Museum, operated by Sanyi Horticulture as a sub-venue will welcome visitors during the Expo.

"Sanyi Horticulture was once simply a bonsai cultivation base. It's now transformed," comments Yuan Li, deputy director of the Wenjiang District Urban Modern Agricultural Hi-Tech Industrial Park Management Committee. The upgraded Zhiyin Pavilion serves as a hospitable venue for Expo guests.

Zhiyin Pavilion, a classic wooden structure graced with intricately carved doors and windows depicting flowers, insects, and animals, plays host to an enormous bonsai, the creation of Master Hu Shixun.

"Zhiyin Pavilion invites guests for a respite amidst their horticultural voyage during the Expo," adds Sun Yingshu, a staff member at Sanyi Horticulture. A novel consumer scenario unfolds here, with offerings such as dining, accommodation, coffee, and Sichuan covered-bowl tea available to visitors.

Looking forward, Zhiyin Pavilion is set to emerge as a hub of new consumer experiences within Sanyi Horticulture, attracting tourists far and wide. "Floriculture is adept at setting the mood and providing emotional depth, particularly Sichuan bonsai with its legacy of artistry. These, combined with pavilions, bridges, and streams, craft a sophisticated consumption scene," explains Sun Dajiang, a professor from the College of Landscape Architecture at Sichuan Agricultural University.

The Wenjiang Sub-venue will also utilize the Chengdu-Qingbaijiang Expressway as its central thread. It will apply innovative concepts like "stores in front and factories in back" and "gardens as attractions, parks as sites,” guiding horticultural businesses to develop exciting new venues such as garden hotpots and under-tree cafés. A boutique route, laced with experience nodes of light dining and tea over 1.5 kilometers, is set to cater to tourists’ whims for both leisure and shopping during the Expo.

Highlight III: Pidu Sub-venue

A place for Flower Admiration and Trade and International Horticultural Dialogues (Subtitle)

On the opposite side of the city, the Pidu Sub-venue unfolds as a vibrant hub centered on the floriculture and nursery industry, crafting a sub-venue featuring "one center, one ring, twelve gardens, and a hundred points.” It creates a modern floral trading center, a worldwide platform for flower trade and circulation.

The design of the Pidu Sub-venue, with the Spring Garden Center as its heart, orchestrates four key functional zones: the International Floral Brand Exhibition, the Flower Economy Exchange, the Flower Art, and the Flower Ware areas.

The International Floral Brand Exhibition Area is subdivided into zones representing Africa, Oceania, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, allowing visitors to revel in high-quality flowers from diverse global locales.

The Flower Economy Exchange Area, serving as the industry dynamics center, scenically exhibits in the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Floriculture Exhibition Hall and the Hall of Flower Development Achievements Across Chengdu's Five Districts the future of high-quality economic growth within the floral industry, surrounding functions such as flower design and production.

The Flower Art Area, serving as the horticulture center, weaves together artistry, production, exhibition, and sales, specializing in flower art trades like equipment, materials, and landscaping. Utilizing atrium and rooftop spaces, it furnishes an immersive indoor-outdoor horticultural atmosphere.

The Flower Ware Area, serving as the contemporary flower ware art center, infuses its buildings and commercial avenues with floral-themed landscaping. It emphasizes the flower ware industry and establishes a cultural and creative hub themed around the four local specialties: bean and chili paste, Shu embroidery, agritainment, and Sichuan bonsai.

A representative of the staff explained that these arrangements allow flower aficionados to engage in meaningful exchanges with professionals while procuring their desired flowers and associated goods.

In addition, the Pidu Sub-venue will incorporate ecological garden landscapes to fabricate garden life scenarios. These encompass coffee shops, tea houses, book bars, training facilities, and specialty eating establishments, providing the Expo with a warm social sphere. This setup aims to grant tourists a fusion of comfort and leisure, enriching their tour experience.

Highlight IV: Xinjin Sub-venue

Immersive Fun amidst Tianfu Ag. Expo Park's Vibrant Canola and Paddy Art (Subtitle)

Nestled within Tianfu Agricultural Expo Park, the Xinjin Sub-venue is a beacon of contemporary agronomy. Bridging urban and rural development, this venue is interlaced with greenways that thread wooded settlements, blending innovation, culture, tourism, and commerce. The park is designed to rejuvenate the bucolic charm of Western Sichuan, through a "field leveling, forest conservation, water regulation, and yard transformation" approach and presenting rural and suburb park scenes in an agricultural expo-driven rural revitalization Highlight.

This location serves as a live showcase for agricultural production in Sichuan as a better "Tianfu granary" in the new era, themed "Tianfu agriculture." On the site, you'll discover a field display area, an agricultural machinery display area, and an agrarian activities display area.

The field display area dazzles with vibrant Canola flowers and extensive rice paddy art, spanning a thousand mu (approximately 66.67 hectares). It also hosts over a hundred innovative grain, oil plants, and vegetable cultivar trials. A demonstration hub for new rice strains along the Yangtze River's mid-to-upper reaches and a rice variety evaluation garden for the "Rice Cup" will be established within the AG Expo Island. Within the 5,400-square-meter intelligent seed breeding center, the focus is on Sichuan's new agricultural breeds, technologies, and facilities, vividly presenting the achievements of the "Tianfu granary" initiative.

Moreover, the Expo will feature an array of unique and innovative agricultural exhibition vistas to enchant visitors:

a gallery filled with new varieties of fruits and gourds from both China and abroad, including colossal pumpkins, serpentine snake gourds, eggplants, and mini pumpkins; a vertically arranged substrate nurtures a rainbow of vegetables, including decorative tomatoes, eggplants, and multi-hued peppers; and a garden artfully intermingled with vegetables, flowers, and vanilla…  These botanical wonders are set to grace Hall No. 2 of the Agricultural Expo Park, the main hall, as well as parts of the broad field area.

Hall No. 2 is anticipated to be steeped in modern agricultural science and technology, comprising three principal themed zones: peculiar fruits and gourds, agricultural science and technology, and agricultural machinery and implements. Displaying domestically and internationally distinct new varieties, along with agricultural technology demonstration and exchange, the exhibit will unfold multiple layers of agriculture tech ranging from cutting-edge agricultural production to household balcony farming.

Highlight V: Qionglai Sub-venue

All-in-One Biodiversity Expo Park for Leisure, Learning, Sightseeing, and Vacationing (Subtitle)

As a sub-venue of Expo 2024 Chengdu, the Longmen Mountain Biodiversity Expo Park is strategically situated along the Western Sichuan Tourism within Qionglai City and lies between the quaint Pingle Ancient Town and the Tiantai Mountain. Utilizing the wooded habitations typical of western Sichuan and natural habitats and following a spatial planning and business arrangement approach of limitless ecology, fields, and experience, the park integrates the boundaries between horticulture, habitat, consumerism, and exhibition seamlessly, creating a biodiverse, unbounded ecological and low-carbon expo experience.

The park will boast a confluence of attractions including a biodiversity exposition hall, a cluster of rural eco-hotels, six distinctive habitat displays, and a breadth of supplementary facilities, as informed by the staff. These offerings promise a multifaceted Expo Park where leisure, learning, sightseeing, and vacationing converge for a comprehensive visitor experience.

Moreover, Qionglai Sub-venue serves as a gateway for visitors to embark on the famed "Qionglai version of Duku Highway" within the digital network. This renowned track, originally known as the "Daohuo Road," spans nearly 20 kilometers through a bamboo sea. It links the Daozuo fair, Linji Town to the historic town of Huojing, renowned for its early utilization of natural gas.

The highway offers astounding vistas of the undulating landscape adorned with crimson sandstone cliffs and an ever-changing tapestry of natural wonders witnessed through each twist and turn. At the confluence of Daozuo and Huojing, the road plunges into seven serpentine bends, marking a sudden drop in elevation, which presents both a thrilling and treacherous driving experience. Upon navigating the seven bends, one is rewarded with panoramic views of the idyllic scenery of those wooded habitations, with cloud-wreathed mountains and traditional western Sichuan dwellings nestled amongst the mist, as if lifted from a painting.

Mayor Yang Ningxu of Linji Town further discloses initiatives to bolster the allure of the Zhaigou Bamboo Sea, creating rest stops for weary self-drivers and developing cultural resources along the route to augment the charm of the destination, ensuring visitors' long journeys are met with plentiful rewards and fond memories.