The China Shenyang International Horticultural
Exposition 2006 will greatly benefit the host city in many ways, local officials
said.
The exposition will be held from April 30 to October 31 in Shenyang, capital
of Northeast China's Liaoning Province.
It is only the second time for a Chinese city to host the exposition.
Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, hosted the exposition in
1999.
For the Shenyang residents, the exposition means not only a beautiful garden
in front of their homes, but also substantial progress for their city.
Chen Zhenggao,
secretary of the Shenyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of
China, gestures at a press conference in Shenyang, Northeast China's
Liaoning Province, April 29, 2006. He said the exposition will be a highly
profitable one for the city, as it will bring enormous business
opportunities to the city's relevant sectors, such as restaurants, hotels,
taxis and department stores.
[chinadaily.com.cn]
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Chen Zhenggao, secretary
of the Shenyang Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the
exposition will be a highly profitable one for the city, as it will bring
enormous business opportunities to the city's relevant sectors, such as
restaurants, hotels, taxis and department stores.
According to Chen, the city's total expenditure for hosting the exposition
will not exceed 250 million yuan (US$31 million), which includes 100 million
yuan (US$12.3 million) for the garden's infrastructure, 100 million yuan on the
construction of the Shenyang-Qipanshan Highway and 50 million yuan (US$6.2) on
the renovation of the Hunhe River and several islands near the garden.
The exposition's ticket income alone will reach 400 million yuan (US$49.4
million), based on a conservative estimation of eight million visitors.
The price of admittance to the garden is 50 yuan (US$6.2), only half that of
the Kunming International Horticultural Exposition, with the goal of giving more
people the chance to enjoy world class horticultural works.
"We will have at least 8 million tickets sold out before the exposition's
opening," said a staff member of the exposition's organizing committee.
Wang Ying, vice mayor of Shenyang, said the exposition would be a golden
opportunity to raise the city's profile and popularity, and to attract more
foreign investors.
"The exposition will make Shenyang a star dancer on the world stage," Wang
said.
Wang said the city is planning to hold several national trade fairs,
exhibitions, symposiums or summits during the exposition to create more business
opportunities.
According to Wang, Shenyang has become a popular place of foreign investment
with 44 world's top 500 enterprises having established branches in the city.
Wang praised many foreign enterprises, such as BMW, Michelin and Koh Brothers
for their active participation in the construction of the exposition garden.
Expo enhances construction
Besides business opportunities, the city's municipal construction will also
enjoy a boom thanks to the exposition.
"By hosting the exposition, the level of Shenyang's municipal construction
and administration will progress by five to ten years," said Yang Yazhou,
assistant mayor of Shenyang.
Yang said the municipal government has carried out various large-scale
projects to enhance city's environment and transportation since Shenyang won the
bid to host the exposition in September 2004.
For example, a thorough renovation will be given to the Hunhe River running
across the city this year; the obstruction in the downtown area's waste water
outlets will soon be cleared up; the square before the Shenyang Railway Station
will take on a new look.
The projects have achieved fruitful results so far, making the city greener,
cleaner and more beautiful.
Yang believes the exposition will also be a stimulus to the tourism industry
and help form a tourism belt in Liaoning Province, with Shenyang as its centre.
As one of the largest cities in Northeast China, Shenyang has rich cultural
and historical resources, such as the Shenyang Imperial Palace, which has been
inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as an extension of the Imperial Palace
of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The tourists to Shenyang are very much likely to visit nearby attractions in
the province, such as the White Pagoda in Liaoyang and the coastal city of
Dalian.
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