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Upon the approval of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) and the State Council , the International Horticulcural Exposition 2011 Xi’an will be held in Chan-Ba Ecological District, Xi’an from April 28th to October 22 nd,2011 and will last for 178 days. The International Horticultural Exposition is sponsored by the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province , the State Forestry Administration.P.R.China,the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Flower Association. It is also co-sponsored by the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government .At present, 105 cities and organizations at home and abroad have confirmed their participation in the event , which is expected to attract 12 million visitors.

The actual site of the expo is Guangyun Lake .It is located at the bank of Chan-Ba known as “Bashang”.Guangyun Lake was a major port in ancient China. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty (742-756AD),Emperor Xuanzong held a large-scale water transport exposition and trade fair here to encourage commerce and trade and display region’s capability in smooth water transport .This event in ancient times marked the beginning of the World expo.

The Expo’s theme is “Eternal peace & harmony between nature and mankind,nurturing the future earth—a city for nature,co-existing in peace.” The emblem and mascot of the exposition have been designated as the “Chang’an Flower”, alluding to a famous Tang poem which reads “Proudly I ride a galloping steed, feasting my eyes on Chang’an flowers at a fleeting speed”Both the emblem and mascot were designed by Chen Shaohua, the designer of China’s Olympic bid logo and New Year zodiac stamps.The slogan of the expo is “Green Leads the Trend”,advocating the concept of “Love of simplicity’striving for a low carbon lifestyle; Returning to nature—Making green our fashion pursuit.”The image spokesperson is Yanni, a famous star and Xi’an native.
 
The expo covers a total area of 418 hectares (6.270mu),188 hectares (2,820mu) of which is water area.The expo is based on a pattern of “two circles,two axes,and five groups.”“Two circles” refers to the main circle, the core site containing the majority of the exhibition areas and sightseeing spots ,and the sub-circle, the expanded site with support facilities such as the expo village and managment center.“Two axes”refers to two landscaping axes, with north-south as the main axis and west-east as the sub-axis.“Five groups” includes Chang’an Park, Creativity Park, Five-Continent Park,Sci-tech Park and Experience Park. The main building includes Chang’an Tower, Greenhouse , Theme Pavilion and the Guangyuan Entrance. The Five Major Horticultural Scenic Spots are the Chang’an Flower Valley , Colorful Plants from Qinling Mountains, Flowers along the Silk Road,Overseas Collections and Flower Rainbow over the Ba-river. The Three Characteristic Zones refers to Romance by the Ba River, Southeast Asian Street and European Avenue.

The emblem of the International Horticultural Exposition Xi’an is the “Chang’an Flower”, which names after a poem “Riding on the crest of success,seeing all the flowers in Chang’an”.The design stems from the Classic of the Virtue of the Path and the Power:“The Tao produced One; One produced Two ;Two produced Three;and Three produced All things.” The emblem takes the shape of a flower composed of petals arranged in ascending order , from the triangle of the innermost layer to the hexagon of the outer layer, forming an auspicious oriental flower seal .The emblem was designed by Chen Shaohua, a well-known graphic designer from Xi’an .who also designed the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Chinese New Year Zodiac stamps . The emblem can be interpreted as follows:THREE for the seeds of all nature ,lying in an auspicious flower;FOUR for the corners of th land, propping up the vault of heaven ; FIVE for the foliage from the trees, shielding the flourishing land;and SIX for running water ,nurturing all life on the planet.

Among the layers of the flower, the triangle at the center of the pattern takes the shape of the Chinese characer＂人（people） symbolizing people first and foremost and representing civilization , responsibility , and reason;the rectangle of the second layer represents the ancient city of Xi’an,metaphorically referring to “Chang’an City(the capital of China during the Tang Dynasty) and symbolizing a harmonious living environment; the pentagon of the third layer, similar to a five-petalled flower , the most common in nature m represents the five elements of metal, wood , water ,fire and earth , namely all the things in nature, the hexagon og the outer layer, in the shape of a snowflake and showing the appearance of running water , symbolizes tolerant nature,”The ascending order of the petals , from the triangle to the hexagon, signifies the harmonious co-existence of humans ,cities and nature, which interacts harmoniously with the theme of this exposition; Eternal peace & harmony between nature and mankind ,nurturing the future earth.＂

Introduction to the Mascot of the International Horticultural Expositon Xi’an China:
The primitive image of the Chang’an Flower is actually the city flower of Xi’an , the pomegranate blossom.Hence the pomegranate is the core element of the design shape and the color of the Chang’an flower .In addition , the flower’s name is quite easy to remember, features what Xi’an is special for and echoes with the design concept of the exposition emblem .The name of the mascot shares the same meaning as the emble.

Theme: “Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth-a city for nature,co-existing in peace(Chinese version:Nature and People in One in Chang’an ,NatureCreativity-A City for Nature, Co-existing in Peace)”
Interpretation:”People”represents the city, and “Chang’an”is the ancient name of Xi’an , an ancient capital with a long history and a symbol for national prosperity and security. Hence “Nature and People in One in Chang’an”embodies the harmonious co-existence between the city and nature “Nature Creativity”,that is “nurturing the future earth”,refers to : on the basis of respecting and protecting nature,allowing nature to serve humankind by utilizing and restoring it.