Officials have been promoting the 2011 International Horticultural Expo in Xi'an to attract more tourists from Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province.

Vice Mayor of Xi'an Zhang Ning, held a special conference in Jinan on August 11, promoting Xi'an as an environmentally-friendly place and encouraging more people to visit to the ancient city. He also said that Xi'an has taken the 2011 International Horticultural Expo as an opportunity to attract more tourism and to upgrade some parts of the city.

The expo has been centered on the theme “Peace and harmony between nature and mankind”. The 418-hectare Xi'an Horticulture Expo features four landmarks – Chang'an Tower, Guangyun Entrance, Theme Pavilion and Greenhouse.

There are three sections to the expo that showcasing tropical rain forests, polar hardy plants and endemic plants. The Greenhouse gives tourists a chance to observe rare plants of different climate zones across the world.

The Xi'an International Horticulture Expo has attracted approximately 8 million tourists since it opened on April 28. It is scheduled to run until October 22.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tania Lee