The first forest culture week kicked off on June 19 in Zibo city – located in East China's Shandong province – with a fascinating photography exhibition put on, featuring works inspired by the ancient classical Chinese book Flowers, or Qun fang pu.
Flowers – a famous treatise on plants and agriculture – is regarded as a monumental botanical work of the 17th century and the modern pictures it inspired in the show include images of enchanting Chinese roses, the city flower of Zibo.
The first Forest Culture Week debuts at the Zibo urban planning exhibition hall on June 19. [Photo/zbnews.net]
Flowers was written by Wang Xiangjin, an agronomist in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who was born in Huantai county in Zibo city.
The organizers of the event selected some important types of trees, grass, flowers and animals recorded in the book and illustrated with the sketch style images executed by Wen Chu, a famous painter, also in the Ming Dynasty.
The photo exhibition is the first time that the work Flowers has been showcased in this form.
Exquisite photographs of vibrant Chinese roses go on display. [Photo/zbnews.net]
In addition, exquisite photographs of 100 kinds of Chinese roses and dozens of pots of living Chinese roses went on display at the west wing of the exhibition hall.
Potted Chinese roses there were given away free to residents participating in the activity.
Zibo has undertaken a raft of forestry programs in recent years, including voluntary tree planting and green culture promotions. As a result, the city's forest coverage rate has reached 32.46 percent, ranking it second in Shandong province.
