Kunming, the spring city, was in the limelight again on the night of October 31 as the China '99 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition (Expo '99) officially wrapped up its 184-day stint.

The grand horticultural fair, which opened on May 1, was declared a colossal success by organizers and visitors. More than 9.4 million Chinese and foreigners visited the unprecedented exhibition during the past six months, successfully fulfilling the goal of 8 million to 10 million tourists.

The closing ceremony, held at the Yunnan Art Theatre, was attended by Vice-Premier Li Lanqing, also chairman of the Organizing Committee of Expo '99, and Ole Philipson, president of the Bureau International des Expositions, and Bernd Werner, chairman of the Association Internationale des Producteurs de l'Horticulture.

During the ceremony, flags of Bureau International des Expositions and Association Internationale des Producteurs del'Horticulture that were on loan during the exhibition were returned to the representatives of the two international organizations. The flags were then transferred to two Dutch representatives. The first horticultural show of the new

century, Floriade 2002, is to be held in the Netherlands.

In recognition of Expo '99's unprecedented success, the two international organizations, BIE and AIPH, issued a special award to the Chinese Government. The Yunnan provincial government received a prize for excellent organization and the Yunnan Provincial Horticultural Exposition Bureau was awarded for its contributions to this year's event.

Eight top exhibition prizes were also rewarded to Japan, France and China during the closing ceremony. The Competition Evaluation Committee of Expo '99 issued a total of 2,777 prizes.

The organizing committee yesterday afternoon held a summary and commendation conference, during which Yunnan Province received the "special contribution prize."

Li Lanqing highly praised the fair's success. He said that the fair took less than three years to organize and prepare was a "true miracle" in the history of international horticultural expositions.

Over the course of Expo '99, several nations and international organizations hosted a total of 51 garden theme days, more than 50 conferences and academic seminars and helped stage more than 1,000 cultural performances. The event resulted an estimated 14 billion yuan (US$1.69 billion) in domestic trade.

After Expo '99's curtain call, the World Horti-Expo Garden will keep its original appearance and remain open to the public over the next six months.

Organizers say the exposition site will be further upgraded and eventually developed into an "internationally famous garden."

All outdoor exhibition areas, the Greenhouse and the Science and Technology Hall will be kept intact. (Chinadaily News)