By Bai Shi

A sprawling megapark complex featuring myriad gardening exhibits, artificial wetlands, advanced landscaping and diverse architectural works is set to breathe new life into a forgotten corner of the Chinese capital.

Hosted by China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Beijing Municipal Government, the Ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Exposition covers a total area of 513 hectares and consists of 128 themed gardens as well as many integrated architectural and landscaping elements.

The coastal city of Dalian in Liaoning Province hosted the inaugural event in 1997. This year's expo began on May 18.

The fittingly named Beijing Garden Expo Park was built specifically for the event and chosen for its location along the Yongding River on the undeveloped southwestern outskirts of the capital.

The park has already received 500,000 visitors as of June 3. Qiang Jian, expo organizer and Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, expects that number to grow to 10 million before the expo concludes on November 18.

For the full coverage please click here