The 11th Jiangsu Horticultural Exposition opened this morning in the newly opened Jiangsu Garden Expo Park. As the province’s top expo for flowers, fruit and vegetables, crowds are set to descend on the Park over the next month. And foreigners need not even make an appointment.
It’s been 3 years in the making. And it’s taken the toil of thousands of labourers to bring to a former quarry new opportunities for Jiangning District’s ecological and global tourism.
Back in 2018, the Jiangsu government committed to building the Expo Park for the express purpose of hosting the horticultural fair. And so now it’s time to see what all the fuss has been about.
Phase one of the development over 3.45 square kilometres features 13 exhibition gardens dotted with pavilions, one for each of the 13 cities of Jiangsu Province. Therein, each displays the city’s local lifestyle and customs. And for the next month, they are also each a horticultural wonder.
Centerpiece for the Garden Park is a former cement factory dating from the Republican era, reported the Yangtze Evening News. It, together with other industrial remains and derelict factory buildings from what was previously Longquan Quarry have been repurposed for the Park.
Gardening fans will surely delight in be able to see different gardening styles from various periods of Chinese history, including the Han, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as modern times.
Partly in order to control numbers with epidemic prevention in mind, visitors are required to purchase tickets in advance by way of an appointment system using the Park’s WeChat mini program.
Search for “悦游园博园”, then therein find out all about the Garden Expo’s facilities and book your tickets for your chosen day(s).
However, the mini program has been built with only Chinese nationals in mind, requiring a Chinese ID number for each ticket. The Nanjinger has contacted the official inquiry hotline and was told foreigners need not register in advance. Given our relatively small numbers, authorities are confident that they can handle us turning up when we feel like it. Your passport is all that is required to be registered on the spot.
Located in Tangshan, the Expo may be for many relatively far away. But getting there is a dawdle. Take Nanjing Metro Line 4 to Mengbei Station, from where it is only a 15-minute walk down Mengbei Lu to the main entrance. However, beware the the Expo Park is an enormous place, requiring as much as an hour to walk from end to end. Buses are also running between Mengbei station and the Park.
For those with cars, be impressed at the significant improvements in the area’s road network. It now takes just 10 minutes to drive from Wanda Mall in Xianlin to Tangshan, reported Jiangsu Now. A 6-kilometre-long road that serves as the main access to the expo venue also affords a beautiful view with landscaping, plants and flowers en masse.
The 11th Jiangsu Horticultural Expo opens today, 16 April, and runs for the next month. Tickets are priced at ¥55, with half-price concessions and free tickets also available.
