AIPH Chairman Inspected and Highly Appreciated The Preparations for Beijing Expo 2019

From March 15 to 17, AIPH Chairman Bernard Oosterom, Vice Chairman Zhang Qixiang and Tim Edwards, and Secretary-General Tim Briercliffe visited Beijing to inspect the preparations for the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition and reviewed the progress of the Park construction. They were also briefed on the progress of preparations for the event.

“This is the prime of spring, far better than the time when the capital city becomes a one of misty willows.” At the entrance to the Park of the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition, the air is filled with touches of spring, doing full justice to the construction work in full swing. Bernard Oosterom and his entourage inspected Wanhua Tai (lit. the Ten-thousand Flower Terrace), the China Pavilion, the International Pavilion, the Park Hotel and other key construction projects, accompanied by relevant leaders of the Beijing World Expo Coordination Bureau. When he was told that aside from the 50,000 trees now in the Park, 50,000 trees and 120,000 shrubs would be added to push the total number of plants to 200,000, he couldn’t help his surprise and praise, saying that the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition would be a “big garden” in the real sense of the term. Commanding the view of the distant Tiantian Mountain, the China Pavilion, and the International Pavilion, Bernard Oosterom couldn’t help his excitement. “Every time I come to the Park, I see something different. The majestic Tiantian Mountain, the magnificent China Pavilion and the ever-improving park engineering have filled me with excitement!”

It is reported that an important task of the delegation's visit to Beijing was choosing the site for the AIPH Pavilion. The 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition will be the second event to include an AIPH Pavilion, following the 2016 Antalya World Horticultural Exposition in Turkey. The AIPH Pavilion has been planned for effectively presenting visitors from both home and abroad with AIPH's efforts in promoting horticultural technology exchanges worldwide and popularizing green and environmental protection concepts. As an international leader in horticultural technologies, AIPH will enrich the visitor's experience in green life through a variety of innovative ways to expand the Park’s educational and inspirational functions. The AIPH Pavilion will be located in the International Organization Venue of World Horticulture Sector of 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition Park. Covering an exhibition floor of more than 1,000 square meters, it joins in the north the gardening experience zone, in the south the International Pavilion, in the east the world gardening axis, and in the west the Chinese Horticulture Area. It is expected to be the area with the densest visitors, straddling the only passage from the China Pavilion to the International Pavilion. The conceptual plan for AIPH Pavilion brought by its delegation is focused on the artful integration of AIPH logo in a dahlia pattern as the core landscape. Conditions of various plants growing in different indoor and outdoor environments will be displayed via diverse approaches. The rich sense of science and technology perfectly materializes the slogan of AIPH as “defenders of botanical power.” The plan will be further deepened regarding measures for adapting the plants to the conditions of the park, diversification in material selection, and permanent reservation.

According to the report, the year 2018 is critical for the preparations of 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition, especially for its civil engineering. At present, the civil construction has been fully resumed after the Spring Festival. The Chinese Pavilion, the International Pavilion, and the Life Experience Pavilion have been capped, successively ushering in installation of glass curtain walls, interior and exterior equipment, and mechanical and electrical devices. The landscaping companies have gradually started planting work as the weather turns warm. The landscape of the core area of the Guirui Lake, the Tiantian Mountain, and the China Pavilion will be basically completed. The “double 100” task of exhibition promotion, including securing 100 official and 100 non-official exhibitors, has basically been completed. Up to now, 76 countries and 16 international organizations including Russia, Germany, Republic of Korea, India, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, have confirmed their participation in writing; 28 countries have explicitly stated their intention to participate and formalities are being handled. The 15 Caribbean countries and 18 United Nations agencies in China have initially expressed their intention for group participation. At present, the design plans for 31 provinces, regions and municipalities, and Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Chinese Taiwan have been basically finalized, with construction to be launched at the end of March.

AIPH Chairman Bernard Oosterom and his entourage highly praised the preparations for the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition and expressed their confidence in the bid of the Expo to set a new benchmark for A1-class World Horticultural Expositions. Bernard Oosterom said that “The preparatory work for the Beijing World Horticultural Exposition is proceeding smoothly. The pavilions and public landscape planning and construction are reflective of green ecological concepts and a beautiful environment in which people and nature live in harmony. The construction of “four pavilions and one core” including the China Pavilion and International Pavilion teem in science and technology. Currently, the diverse plant species are growing in health, laying a good foundation for the next stage of public landscape planting. The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) will provide greater support and guidance for various preparations for 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition, and work together with the organizer to achieve the goal of “A New Level of World Horticulture and a New Model of Ecological Civilization.”It is believed that 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Exposition will become the horticultural gala with the greatest number of gardening products in exhibition, the greatest influence, the highest level of display, and the most comprehensive display content. At the same time, it will also be an event integrating the highlights of previous World Horticultural Expositions, the modern cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, and the characteristics of Chinese gardening.