China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Parks and pavilions
The International Park covers 9.1 hectares, with 10 pavilions dedicated to the horticulture and flowers of the US, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, South Korea, and Japan.
Flowers on display include roses from the US and the UK, daisies from Italy, geraniums from Hungary, irises from France, lily of the valley from Sweden, cornflowers from Germany, tulips from the Netherlands, hibiscuses from South Korea and chrysanthemums from Japan.
The Domestic Park covers 14.6 hectares and is divided into eight themed gardens, each representing a different area of China.
In addition to a Royal Garden, styled after those enjoyed by Chinese emperors’ of yesteryear, there is a Hebei Garden, a Southern Chinese Garden with water features, a Western Chinese Garden with the traditional stilted buildings of Chongqing, a Lingnan Garden to represent the gardening styles of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, a Modern Garden, Taiwan Garden and Bonsai Garden.
Styled to look like it is built from coal, the pavilion symbolizes host city Tangshan’s mining heritage.
Inside, there are more than 1,000 different kinds of tropical plants including the African baobab tree, with its thick trunk and large fruit, the parasitic flowering rafflesia that can reach an enormous size, and the tropical upas tree that is known in Hainan as the “Poison Arrow Tree”.