Tian'anmen Square decked out in flowers

Late Saturday night, the flower display at Tian'anmen Square was revealed to the public. At present, a revolving 16.9 meter tall "Dancing Beijing" logo welcomes visitors by highlighting the upcoming 2008 Games. According to Beijing Morning Post, by the end of the month, the entire presentation will be completed.

From the end of July to October, city residents can enjoy the million pots of varied plants that make up the display.

Can the flowers withstand Beijing's scorching hot summer and frequent rains? According to expert Chen Ju, these plants have been researched thoroughly and found capable of withstanding such weather conditions with no problem. Chen explained that most of these flowers can recover from strong winds and rains quickly, returning to their original brilliance. "After a heavy rainfall, we must go to check on the flowers to see which ones can endure and recover quickly. This is the main criteria we used to select these flowers," said Chen.

Surrounding the upright "Dancing Beijing" logo, the bed of flowers is strategically arranged so as to form the design of the "lucky clouds." Lit up by LED lights, the logo rotates in the middle of the 40 meter diameter display.

Tian'anmen Square now houses many examples of Olympic culture, including exhibitions of the Olympic sports symbols and Olympic slogans. During the Paralympic Games, logos will be changed accordingly.

Source: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/olympiccities/beijing/n214437556.shtml