Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

On April 30, 1999, the International Horticultural Expo kicked off in Kunming, Yunnan province. It was the first time that the event had been hosted in China.

Under the theme of "Man, Nature and Machine in the 21st Century", the 187-day expo attracted 9.5 million visitors from 95 countries and regions. An item from June 19, 1999, in China Daily showed street performers from the United Kingdom at the expo venue.

Since then, China has held five such expos: Shenyang, Liaoning province, in 2006; Xi'an, Shaanxi province, in 2011; Jinzhou, Liaoning, in 2013; Qingdao, Shandong province, in 2014; and Tangshan, Hebei province, in 2016. The sixth in Beijing is ongoing.

Hosting major events has been a successful strategy for a large number of cities around the world. They can bring a raft of economic, social and cultural benefits and also involve major infrastructure investment in facilities and amenities.

To host the International Horticultural Expo in 2014, Qingdao built the Horticulture Expo Park, which is now recognized as a major tourist attraction. The park features both ecotourism and horticultural art.

The major venue for the Tangshan International Horticultural Expo in 2016 was transformed from an area of waste ground that was formerly a coal mine. The theme was "City and Nature, Phoenix Nirvana".

The 2019 Beijing International Horticultural Expo, which kicked off on Sunday, is being held in the capital's Yanqing district. It showcases a variety of flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs from across the world, including more than 300 rare and endangered plant species.

With the theme of "Live Green, Live Better", the 162-day expo is set to welcome some 16 million visitors from more than 100 countries and regions.

In 2021, the event will be held in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province.