2011 Xi'an Expo Presents You a Brand New Modern City with Its Rich History

Designed in a mixture of modern and classical, Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition provides you with a feast of natural sights and a developing Xi'an. The expo hopes to introduce a brand new Xi'an with its tolerance of different cultures and modern city image to the whole world.

Ying Ying has more.

For those who are still thinking of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo or who regret missing it, the Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition provides you with another chance to take in an awe-inspiring and breathtaking experience. Seen as a major event for whoever enjoys flowers and gardens, this year's expo pays great attention to the integration of Chinese and foreign cultures. The expo presents a spectacular array of works, including the master gardens, which were created by nine prominent architects from all over the world. Just like with the master gardens, most landscapes, gardens and sculptures are joint efforts from various foreign and Chinese experts.

Li Yi, chief engineer of Xi'an Expo 2011, says the expo takes on more of a Western style appearance on the outside while most gardens inside are designed by classical Chinese landscaping designs. The layout of the expo has been constructed by following the main theme of blending different cultures together.

"The most important thing in blending different cultures together is tolerance, which will help each other live in harmony. We have put Chang'an Tower, the landmark presenting Xi'an traditional culture and the Greenhouse, Creativity Pavilion which are showing the landscaping of other countries and the high-tech achievements in the same area to display the mixture of modernity and history, West and East, of the world."

Xi'an is the third city to hold the international horticultural exposition in China and it has been the biggest one up to date. According to research provided by Xi'an Travel Bureau, Xi'an Expo has the highest "knowing rate" of 26%, which means, one of four people know about the Xi'an Expo.

Zhou Aiquan, director of Xi'an Travel Bureau, says the expo will have a very positive effect on the development of the tourism industry in Xi'an.

"The holding of the expo will make Xi'an more attractive. We are confident that in the near future, there may be more people coming to this city to discover its unique charm and fantasy. "

Zhou says Xi'an Travel Bureau is planning to build Xi'an as an international tourist city. This idea has gained support from the Chinese government.

Xi'an has been the capital city of 13 different dynasties in Chinese history, a very long period of time, and thus Xi'an is quite famous for its rich history. Zhou Aiquan hopes people will continue to respect Xi'an's colorful cultural background. He also would like to let people from the world see a developing Xi'an with its modern look. This year's theme song of the expo presents this wish from the people of Xi'an.

Xue Baoqin, the lyric writer of this song, who is the director of Press and Publication Bureau of Shannxi Province, shares his ideas about the song.

"The content of this song has two parts. First part is the review of Xi'an's history since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty in Chinese history. The history of Xi'an can be the review of traditional Chinese culture. Second, describing the landmark of the expo, the lyrics give a welcome to tourists from around the world."

The song's name is "Presenting you a Changan". Changan is the old name of Xi'an used in its early history. Now, Xi'an is one of the technological and cultural centers in China. In the song it combines these themes of old and new together. Xue says "presenting you a Changan" can have three other different meanings.

"In the name of 'presenting you a Changan', we hope to present you peace and safety, forever happiness and present an expo that is classic."

Xi'an International Horticultural Exposition is the window in which the whole world can know about Xi'an, and with its clever integration of nature's beauty and human endeavor, it is hoped that people will enjoy this exposition of traditional Xi'an culture in such a modern context.

For CRI, I'm Ying Ying.