This Chinese city, famous for its ancient gardens, is ready to offer its best to delegates to the world heritage conference to open Monday.

All streets and alleys have been festooned with lanterns in ancient Chinese style and various shapes. Delicately designed, one banana plant or a cluster of bamboo would make a mini-garden anywhere in this city with a history of some 2,500 years.

Forty top chefs, including four cooking Muslim food, will offer dishes of 10 Chinese cuisines famous for their flavors and shapes.

Participants will also be treated to Kunqu, the oldest traditional Chinese opera that was listed as an item of intangible world heritage in May 2001, according to the plan of the organizing committee.

Local police have launched thorough checks of six designated hotels and all other three-star or higher-level hotels to ensure safety and security.

The conference center, near the ancient moat of the city, has been ready for use for the 28th Session of the World Heritage Committee to open Monday. In the center, the main venue of the session, the media hall and the reception section have all been refurbished. The systems of lighting, audio and video, simultaneous interpretation and air conditioning have proved operating well, committee officials said.

With a civilization of some 5,000 years, China possesses a unique landscape with extremely rich natural and cultural heritage resources. Suzhou is prestigious for its elegant and unique classical gardens, a number of which have been inscribed on the World Heritage list.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2004)