BEIJING - Pakistan will participate in the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 scheduled to open here on April 29 and will run through October 7, showcasing gardening cultures from various countries. The departments concerned are making preparations to display Pakistani gardening and horticulture during the exhibition, according to official sources here on Thursday. The 162-day exhibition will host more than 16 million people from 86 countries and 26 international organizations. Located 10 kilometers north of the Badaling Great Wall in the capital's Yanqing district, the expo park covers an area of 503 hectares. Three ecological belts will line the expo park to provide leisure zones for tourists. A green area of 37.5 hectares around the pavilions will display many varieties of trees, including willows, the organizers said. Trees have already been planted in the designated places, he said. There will be 1.8 million flowers as well.

 An existing wetland has been renovated in the park to provide improved habitat for fish and birds.

Pavilion construction has also relied on green concepts. The International Pavilion, the largest in the park, was built with 94 steel columns shaped like flower umbrellas. Their special design allows them to collect rainwater from the roof.

The exhibition will showcase flowers and gardening cultures from various countries, as well as serve as a platform for cooperation in cultural and economic exchanges.

Yanqing district is preparing various modes of transportation to the expo park. Sixteen trains from downtown Beijing to the park will run each day. Five bus lines will also open, linking the park to downtown Yanqing.

It will be the second high-level horticulture expo hosted by China, following one in Kunming, Yunnan province, in 1999. More than 2,500 cultural activities have been scheduled for the expo, as well as parades during the exhibition.