Waterfront locations: Guirui Theatre, A Pavilion of the International Garden at the Beijing Expo Park, International Garden Festival, and Horticultural Home Stay
For those who are visiting the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition and Yanqing for the first time, the term "Guirui" may seem quite unfamiliar. Here, "Gui" refers to the Guishui Hu, while "Rui" denotes the confluence or bend of a river. Together, they mean "the place where Guishui curves."
Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition Park spans both banks of the Guishui Hu, stretching from Xiyu Lu(Rd) in the west to Yankang Lu(Rd) in the east, and from the boundary of the new urban development area to Baikan Road in the south, covering a total area of 503 hectares. The designers utilized existing abandoned fish ponds to create a lush wetland that integrates with the Guishui Hu, forming scenic water surfaces. Inspired by the phrase from the "Records of the Grand Historian" stating "Shun resided in Guiyou," the designers named this landscape Guirui Lake. It also serves ecological functions, such as rainwater collection.
Guirui Theatre is the venue for the opening ceremony of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019. Its design resembles a giant butterfly resting by Guirui Hu, just a stone's throw from the riverside. The theatre appears as a beautiful and dynamic butterfly suspended between mountains and waters. In addition to its unique shape, Guirui Theatre is highly functional, featuring one large stage and two smaller ones, with over 1,400 seats available for a variety of cultural performances and events.
The flowers in the Beijing Expo Park are beautiful, with the colorful lupins in front of the China Pavilion and the dandelions inside Gate No. 7 being particularly distinctive. Yes, lupins are also known as "lu bing hua" in Chinese, a name derived from the Hakka term "lu bian hua", which means "roadside flower". In Taiwan, large numbers of lupins are planted along tea gardens, and they can also be found growing wild.
Lupins are vibrant in color, appearing gentle yet resilient, standing tall among the fields and weeds, much like a mother's character—full of love and determination. Although the area of lupins in the Beijing Expo Park is not large, they thrive exceptionally well, thanks to the park's unique microclimate. The environment here is warm and sunny, protected from cold winds by the Haituo Mountains, nourished by the Guishui Hu from deep underground, and sheltered by expansive forests. This favorable setting allows the flowers to flourish, making it a perfect location for the International Garden Festival.
The dandelions in the Beijing Expo Park represent one of the largest dandelion planting areas in Beijing. They grow densely on gentle slopes, alongside winding rivers, and beneath white birch trees. Here, clusters of yellow daisies also thrive under the protection of the dandelions, creating a charming natural arrangement. This extensive field of dandelions adds a delightful touch of wild nature to the park.
In fact, the charm of the Beijing Expo Park lies not just in the flowers, the lupins, or the dandelions, but in the creatively designed and themed outdoor afternoon tea spots nestled among the greenery. Yes, right outside, amidst the blooms and on the grassy areas, you can enjoy an afternoon tea of coffee and dessert in the embrace of nature. You can casually sit there or lie back on a blue, comfy cushion—doesn't that make it easy to "converse with nature"?
