The Fifth China Flower Exposition opened Friday in Shunde City, Guangdong Province, in south China.

Florists from 31 Chinese regions as well as Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States, Italy, Singapore and more than 10 other countries and regions are attending the show, which is jointly hosted by the Chinese Florist Association and the Guangdong government.

The organizers expect more than one million people will visit the 10-day event.

Over the past two decades flower growing has grown into a prosperous industry in China.

Jiang Zehui, president of the florists association, said the country's flower farms totaled 147,500 hectares in 2000.

Buhe, vice-chairman of the Ninth National People's Congress Standing Committee, and Zhou Tienong, vice-chairman of the Ninth Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, attended the Friday's opening ceremony.

(Xinhua 09/28/2001)