The flower exhibition is divided into several categories such as flowers and nature, flowers and culture, flowers and life, and flowers and the economy. Fresh flowers, cut flowers, potted landscapes, leafy plants, seeds and seedlings, corms and other related products are on display. At the same time, a trade fair is also under way to attract investments from overseas. A total of 192 trade-seminar seats have been scheduled, 49 contracts expect to be signed, and 156 businessmen have been invited for negotiations.

The arid Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of 3,500 meters, is known for low temperatures, winds and oxygen deficits. Under such a climate can large areas of tulips be planted and grow successfully? According to Wang Weihua of the Xining Forestry Administration and a member of the tulip exhibition executive committee, the plateau climate (with big differences in temperature between day and night plus adequate sunshine) are favorable to growing tulips.

Based on 265,000 tulips planted last autumn in parks such as the People’s Park and the Culture Park, the tulip exhibition will include 457,000 tulips from the Netherlands. After repeated research and technological developments, problems with flower bud differentiating and low-temperature planting (caused by out-of-season planting) have been resolved. In addition to parks where the main sites of the conference lies, 1,200,000 tulips from 54 species have been planted along the streets of the four districts of Xining as well as on the grassland besides the streets. Forty-one scenic zones were formed.

As early as 1989, the Xining Garden Administration in collaboration with the Xi’an Botanical Garden and the Guangzhou Garden Research Institute began research on the plant technology of tulips. In 1992 the selected tulips were first introduced and planted in Qinghai. By 2001, Xining had hosted eight tulip exhibitions with the species and quantity increased dramatically.

Despite this recent commercial introduction of tulips to Qinghai Province, folk legend says that the origin of the tulip is somewhere in either the Xinjiang Autonomous Region or within Qinghai Province. Wild tulips have long been found in Qinghai Province as well as Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions. In addition, wild tulips have been found in the Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains.

Wang said, “because of Qinghai’s fragile climate and geography, visitors from home and abroad will leave with a deep impression after viewing large areas of tulips.” As such, the Qinghai provincial government decided to hold the tulip flower exhibition to boost economic development and enable Qinghai to become popular throughout the world. In preparation for the event, the Forestry Administration and the Garden Administration of Xining constructed the main site for the conference.

(by Zhang Tingting, china.org.cn staff reporter, May 13, 2002)