Moon lights up night sky
By Zhang Feng
KUNMING _ A bright full moon in the sky, tasty moon cakes and fruits on the table, lanterns glittering from all direction, sweet smell of flowers coming with the gentle breeze, and the smiling faces of thousands of visitors ...... all these are not from the dream of a fiction novel.
It was the reality of the "Night World Horti-Expo Garden" one saw on the night of Mid-autumn Festival which came last Friday, the 15th Day in the Eighth Month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
The arrival of the festival brought out the climax of the recently opened tourism item named "Sight-seeing in Night World Horti-Expo Garden" _ from 7:30 pm to 11 pm _ organized by the Organizing Committee of China '99 Kunming International Horticultural Exposition (Expo '99).
According to the official sources of the Committee, there have been about 10,000 tourists per night on average visiting the garden since September 10th.
At the main entrance of the garden, the huge expo mascot "Lingling" and those various national flags flying in the wind greet the visitors in colourful lights.
Strolling in the night garden, a dazzling brilliant world is presented to your eyes. The trees and flowers along the both sides of the roads are decorated by small and beautiful lanterns.
The China Hall, Man and Nature Hall and other halls pose a gorgeous picture in the forceful and colourful light. The huge Sightseeing Tower on the top of the hill looks like a big torch.
Those numerous fountains and pools scattered in the garden shine like rainbows in the dazzling lights.
Compared with the thrilling sight of those halls, the Bamboo Garden and Japanese outdoor exhibition garden look serene and elegant in the soft, green or yellow lights.
In the International Food Plaza and other restaurants of the garden, people can enjoy the delicious pastries and fruits while appreciating the night scene.
There are more than 2,000 groups of colorful lights in the garden, the committee said.
The sound instruments installed along the main roads and all corners in the garden entertain the visitors with heart-stirring music and songs.
Here in the moonlight, you still can enjoy the services of the shopping, amusement park and the electronic shuttles.
At the same time, you will feel quite safe when you find policemen in two or three going on night patrol. 
According to a policeman from Kunming Municipal Police College, there are a total of 150 policemen to ensure the safety of the night garden.
The night light attracts thousands of people including senior citizens, loving couples and many lively children who jump and sing on the wide roads of the garden.
A colourfully-decorated festooned vehicle, in the shape of a phoenix, thread its way through the crowd. Several animated cartoon figures on the vehicle cause bursts of cheering shouts from the crowd.
A ticket for the night expo only costs about 30 yuan ($US 3.6), the garden's box offices said.
According to the committee, the night scene will be even more beautiful on the evening when China celebrates its 50th birthday on October 1st.

(Photos:  top: Lights-lit China Hall appears extremely splendid at night; next to top: The illuminating exotic structure in the World Horti-Expo Garden.   By Yang Shizhong)

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