International Horticultural Exposition 2011,Xi'an
Category: A2+B1
Time:Apr.28–Oct.22,2011
Site:Chan-Ba Ecological District, Xi’an
Theme:Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth—a city for nature, co-existing in peace(Chinese version: Nature and People in One in Chang'an, Nature Creativity—A City for Nature, Co-existing in Peace)
Interpretation: "People" representsthe city, and "Chang'an” is the ancient name of Xi'an, an ancient capital with a long history and a symbol for national prosperity and security. Hence, "Nature and People in One in Chang'an" embodiesthe harmonious co-existence between the city and nature. "Nature Creativity", thatis,"nurturing the future earth", refersto: on the basis of respecting and protecting nature, allowing nature to serve humankind by utilizing and restoring it.
Brief introduction:
The International Horticultural Exposition 2011,Xi'an(here in after referredto as Expo 2011 XI AN CHINA), with the theme of“Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth—a city for nature, co-existing in peace”and the concept of"Green Leads the Trend", was held in the Chan-Ba Ecological District, Xi'an from April 28 to October 22, 2011 and lasted for 178 days. The Expo 2011 XI AN CHINA wassponsored bythe People's Government of Shaanxi Province, the State Forestry Administration, P.R.China, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Flower Association. Itwasalso co-sponsored by the Xi'an Municipal People's Government. It attracted 15.72 million visitsors.
The site of the Expo 2011 XI AN CHINAisGuangyun Lake.It islocated at the bank of Chan-Ba known as "Bashang". Guangyun Lake was a major port in ancient China. During the Tianbao period (742-756 AD)of the Tang dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong held a large-scale water transport exposition and trade fair here to encourage commerce and trade,displayingthecapabilityof the Tang dynastyin smooth water transport.
The Expo 2011 XI AN CHINA coversa total area of 418 hectares, 188 hectares of whichiswater area. The expoisbased on a pattern of “two circles, two axes, and five groups”.
“Two circles” refersto the main circle, the core exhibition zone containing the outdoor exhibition gardens and horticultural attractions, and the minor circle, the extension zone with support facilities such as the Exhibition Village and the Administration Center. “Two axes” refersto two landscaping axes, with north-south as the main axis and west-east as theminor one. “Five groups” includesChang'an Park, Creativity Park, Five-Continent Park, Sci-tech Park and Experience Park.The Four TypicalBuildingsincludeChang'an Tower, Theme Pavilion,Greenhouseand Guangyun Entrance. TheFiveMajorHorticulturalScenicSpotsarethe Chang'an Flower Valley, Colorful Plants from Qinling Mountains, Flowers along the Silk Road, Overseas Collections and Flower Rainbow over the Ba River. TheThreeSpecialServiceAreas refersto Romance by the Ba River, Southeast Asian Street and European Avenue.
The main feature of theExpo 2011 XI AN CHINAis dividing the tourist area into Nature & Human Chang’an Island, Creative Nature Island, Silk Road Island,Flower Island, future Island, Park Island,Adventure Island and Happy Island, as well as building Seven Major Specific Theme Parks:“Chang’an Park”that presents specific histories and cultures of Xi’an;“Qinling Park”that reflects the ecological environment and features of animals and plants of Shaanxi Province and theFour Treasures of Qinling(includingthe giant panda, thesnub-nosed monkey,crested ibis andtakin);“Aerospace Science and Technology Park”that shows latest inventions in the fields of aerospacescienceand technology and agriculturescience and technologyof Xi’an City and Shaanxi Province;“Liu Park”that presents features of the expo and Chan-ba ecotope;“Sounds of Nature Garden”that displays architectural styles of Chinese ancient gardens;“Silk Road Park”that reflects excotic styles along the ancient Silk Road;“Medicinal Herb Park”that exhibits rare plants and medicinal herbs; at the same time, building an utopian ecological demonstrating building that achieves zero emission and zero energy consumption so as to demonstrate the exhibition’s theme of green, ecology and environmental protection.
Emblem:
The emblem of the Expo 2011 XI AN CHINAisthe “Chang'an Flower”,which wasnamedafter a poem “Riding on the crest of success, seeing all the flowers in Chang'an.”The design stemsfromthe Classic of the Virtue of the Path and the Power: “The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; and Three produced All things.” The emblem takesthe shape of a flower composed of petals arranged in ascending order, from the triangle of the innermost layer to the hexagon of the outer layer, forming an auspicious oriental flower seal. The emblemwas designed by Chen Shaohua, a well-known graphic designer from Xi'an, who also designed the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Chinese New Year Zodiac stamps. The emblem canbe interpreted as follows: THREE for the seeds of all nature, lying in an auspicious flower; FOUR for the corners of the land, propping up the vault of heaven; FIVE for the foliage from the trees, shielding the flourishing land; and SIX for running water, nurturing all life on the planet.
Among the layers of the flower, the triangle at the center of the pattern takesthe shape of the Chinese character “人” (people) symbolizing people first and foremost, and representing civilization, responsibility, and reason; the rectangle of the second layer representsthe ancient city of Xi'an, metaphorically referring to “Chang'an City” (the capital of China during the Tang Dynasty) and symbolizing a harmonious living environment; the pentagon of the third layer, similar to a five-petalled flower, the most common in nature, representsthe five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, namely all the things in nature; the hexagon of the outer layer, in the shape of a snowflake and showing the appearance of running water, symbolizestolerant nature. The ascending order of the petals, from the triangle to the hexagon, signifiesthe harmonious co-existence of humans, cities and nature, which interactsharmoniously with the theme of this exposition: Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth.
Mascot:
The mascot ofExpo 2011 XI AN CHINAis namedChang'an Flower.The primitive image of the Chang'an Flowerisactually the city flower of Xi'an, the pomegranate blossom. Hence the pomegranateisthe core element of the design shape and the color of the Chang'an flower. In addition, the flower's nameisquite easy to remember, whichfeatureswhat Xi'anisspecial for and echoeswith the design concept of the exposition emblem.
