Shenyang cleans up its act.

(From China Daily)

You are in a colourful world filled with tens of thousands of red, yellow, blue and pink roses introduced from all over the world. Looking through the glass wall, there lies a snow-capped frozen river with silver hills embellished with multicoloured coats of skiers in the background.

This is the outskirts of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. The city will host the 2006 World Horticulture Exposition. This important industrial city has won approval from the International Association of Horticulture Producers to hold the exposition. The show will officially open in April and end in October, but actually "we will never put it at an end," said Chen Zhenggao, mayor of Shenyang. Chen said the exposition area will be a permanent show place for various flowers and plants and will open all year round to the public. It is also expected to be a new scenic spot and an entertainment complex for domestic and foreign tourists.

Covering 5.3 square kilometres, the …