The first meeting of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu Organising Committee was held in Beijing on 20 September 2023, followed by a press conference.
Expo 2024 Chengdu is an AIPH-approved Category B International Horticultural Exhibition co-sponsored by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA), China Flower Association (CFA), and Sichuan Provincial People’s Government. The Expo’s theme is “Park City, Beautiful Habitat”, and it will be held for 186 days, from 26 April to 28 October 2024, in Chengdu.
Expo 2024 Chengdu aims to create a world horticultural expo with ‘features of the times, international standards, elements of China, and characteristics of Chengdu’.
The location for Expo 2024 Chengdu spans 242 hectares, divided into seven distinct exhibition areas. The organiser has sent out invitations for participation in the site’s 114 exhibition gardens. Sixteen cities from different countries, including France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, the USA, Brazil, Australia, and Morocco, and 20 overseas associations and companies, have registered to take part in the exhibition.
The press conference saw the unveiling of the emblem, mascot, and flower of the Expo 2024 Chengdu.
The emblem is based on the outline of a panda’s head, incorporating various plant elements such as ginkgo, hibiscus, and golden bamboo, fully showcasing the rich biodiversity of the Chengdu region.
The mascot is called “Tong Meier.” The character’s design concept references the Gongtong plant (Davidia involucrata – also known as the Dove Tree) and the 1200 BC “bronze divine bird,” archaeological unearthed last year from the Sanxingdui Ruins. Sanxingdui is on the UNESCO list of tentative World Heritage Sites.
The cute-friendly Tong Meier mascot symbolises peace, friendship, inclusiveness, and mutual learning. It is rich in profound cultural connotations and the ancient characteristics of Ba-Shu, historically synonymous with areas in modern Sichuan.
The hibiscus flower grows abundantly in parks, along riversides, and greenways in Chengdu, so naturally, the city has chosen the trumpet-shaped flower as the floral emblem of the Expo 2024 Chengdu. It represents nobility, steadfastness, and harmony with a vision and blessings for a successful and fulfilling hosting.
