Taiwan is hosting an extravagant exposition in the capital, Taipei. It is the Taipei International Flora Expo and its theme is the world of flowers. The six-month long event opens Saturday, just days after another extravagant event, the World Expo, closed across the strait in Shanghai.
The Taipei International Flora Expo promises to be the most extravagant of all the flora expos.
"We expect millions of people to see our expo. That in my experience over the past 50 years, and I haven't seen them all, but on paper this is the best one that we've had so far," says Dr. Doeke Faber, president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).
The 14 exhibit halls cover 91 hectares and feature state of the art architecture and exhibits. One pavilion, the pavilion of new fashion, is the first building constructed entirely from garbage, or one-and-a-half million recycled PET bottles. Another, the pavilion of dreams, turns visitors into beetles as they travel through a virtual world of flowers and run through a sea of clouds.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said the flora expo is a great opportunity for the world to see Taiwan. He said the event expresses the glorious relationship man has with nature, and is a showcase for Taiwan 's environmental, high-tech, and creative flair.
The expo runs for six months, through April 25, and features 7,000 performances such as the singing of aborigine children at the opening on Saturday.
Taipei International Flora Expo Opens
