A Horticultural Feast in Chengdu

“Behind me, you can see the roof of the main exhibition hall. It is made of one million ginkgo leaves!” Holding a selfie stick, travel vlogger Xiaochuan said while standing at the main exhibition hall of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu, recording a tour guide for his followers. He was dazzled by the green and low-carbon concepts at the exhibition, which opened on April 26, 2024 and will run till October 28.

The exhibition presents a picture of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and its green, low-carbon and sustainable concepts are the foundations of a future green city. Huang Cong, chief planner of the main exhibition venue and vice president of TYLin International China, said the exhibition has issued a low carbon management plan, a first in its six decades of inception. He pointed to three steel roses at the entrance of the main venue. “This is a rainwater collector,” he said. The petals collect the rainwater which is transported into the underground filtration and storage system through pipes. The steel roses are expected to collect approximately 2,500 tons of rainwater per year, which can meet the daily irrigation needs of the two-hectare green space in the exhibition zone, he explained.

Innovative designs like this can be seen throughout the exhibition zone. The main exhibition hall has been designed to utilize natural ventilation and light, which makes it cool in summer and warm during the cold winter, thus reducing the energy needed for its operation and maintenance. A low temperature fresh air system set up above the lake nearby produces natural cooling, reducing the energy needed for air conditioning. Other venues are using green technologies such as small air-conditioning systems, photovoltaic glass, and insulation walls built of composite materials to achieve the overall goal of carbon emission reduction.

In the Tianjin Pavellion, the AI cycling equipment is very popular with visitors. They can have a ride while viewing the exhibition virtually on the electronic screen the bike is fitted with. To keep the venue mosquito-free, “mosquito traps” are in use. Compared with traditional mosquito control methods, it is pollution-free and consumes little energy. The main venue has also embedded special application scenarios such as drone catering delivery, remote shopping, emergency medical treatment, centralized collection of lost items, and low-altitude timelapse panoramic photography.

After inspecting the preparations for the main venue, Tim Briercliffe, secretary general of the Association Internationale des Producteurs de l’Horticulture, said it would create unforgettable memories. “Visitors from all over the world can learn about Chengdu’s green vision and see what green cities in the future will look like through the Chengdu exhibition,” he said.

Keeping Future Use in Mind

The exhibition has been constructed based on a pattern of “one main venue and four auxiliaries.” That is, it has the main venue in the Chengdu Eastern New Area and four branches themed on Wenjiang Sichuan-Style Bonsai, Pidu Flower Industry, Xinjin Modern Agronomy, and Qionglai Biodiversity Protection respectively. The main venue, with an area of 242.2 hectares, has over 100 exhibition parks and six core venues with plants from the five continents on display. The total number of exhibition parks, including overseas exhibition parks, has set records in the history of the horticultural exhibition.

When these were designed, the planners took into consideration their subsequent use once the exhibition is over. Huang said the designing team doesn’t design any building that can’t be used in the future. “Even a small building of 200 square meters will have new functions after the exhibition ends,” he said. To integrate the park planning with the development of subsequent industries, at the very beginning they designed a post-exhibition industrial layout based on the cultivation and R&D of flowers and seedlings, as well as science popularization, leisure tourism, and public services.

“After the exhibition ends, the whole park will be transformed into five functional sections for industries, universities, research institutes, tourism, and residence. All the main buildings will be retained and transformed. For example, the main exhibition hall will be transformed into the Eastern New Area Cultural and Art Center, the botanical greenhouse will be a flower R&D and science popularization center, and the comprehensive service hall will be a neighborhood service center. The beautiful Jinyun Pavelion will be the Xishu Ancient Garden Museum. The open space will be retained as a park, with part of it transformed into industrial incubators. Different designs, materials, construction methods, and plants will be used for the reserved area and the transformed area to reduce waste. For example, in compliance with the flower seedling industry, a large area of flower fields and lawns in the northeast will become a test field for sustainable use of the park,” Huang said.

Commenting on this, Leonardo Capitanio, chair of AIPH, said, “China is pursuing a sustainable lifestyle, which is the right direction. I believe China will make great achievements in this field in the future.”

From Foul to Fair

The water route of the exhibition, featuring docks and observation platforms, has become a must-visit for many. Watching visitors take a boat tour along the clear Jiangxi River, Zhou Jiming, head of the River Chief Office of the Water Control Center in the Eastern New Area of Chengdu, smiled with pride.

A decade ago, Jiangxi was a severely polluted river. “There were no centralized sewage treatment facilities in the towns along the river, and the sewage was discharged directly into its waters. Domestic garbage and agricultural waste soon piled up. You could see straw, plastic bags and bottles everywhere, and people complained (of the foul smell), especially in summer and autumn,” Zhou said.

Then the area promoted river and lake management through the river chief system and actions for pollution prevention, environmental restoration and preservation. River cleaning campaigns were carried out and ecological restoration was strengthened to clean up the water bodies and make the banks lush with greenery. Sewage was intercepted and Jiangxi was dredged and its waters replenished till it finally became clear again.

“We’ve listed the water environment problems in the design process of the main venue, formulated water quality protection and water storage plans, and supervised projects such as sewage interception, dredging, and water replenishmen,” Zhou said. “We also assisted a local company with ecological management plans for the river. We put in great effort to ensure clear water and beautiful sceneries for Jiangxi and its tributaries.”

The Chengdu horticultural exhibition has also created a platform for disseminating green development concepts. “We have also developed guidelines for the exhibition park design and evaluated the design of each exhibition park based on the philosophy of the exhibition,” Huang said. “During this process, we’ve conducted a lot of dialogues with domestic and foreign design agencies. Our goals are the same, which is green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.”

From the Beijing Pavilion that demonstrates a garden city, to the Changsha Pavilion showcasing a land of flowers and a three-dimensional forest, and the other pavilions at the Chengdu horticultural exhibition park with each displaying a unique aspect, all these demonstrate China’s steps to promote the construction of an ecological civilization.