Officially opening on July 25, the international wine exhibition is part of a broader program of initiatives sponsored by the Chinese government for the 11th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, scheduled to take place in China for the first time from July 28 to August 2. The conference is an international event with a worldwide scope covering issues related to agriculture and grapevine cultivation, in particular, taken as a key to developing contemporary wine culture. The exhibition garden covers almost 200 hectares designed and built for the occasion with artificial lakes, greenhouses, museums, gardens, a visitor center, landscape towers and bridges that enhance the visibility and use of this garden near the Great Wall.

The master plan and buildingproject was the winner of an international design competition by invitation put on in 2012 by the People's Government of Yanqing County Beijing, part of the Chinese government. This is a major recognition for Italian design and architecture. The Chinese government built the project with great skill and speed given the exceptional scope and importance of the works built. Pavilions have been deisgned as circles as a metaphor for grape bunches spread over the landscape.

The overall image forges an extraordinary relationship with the surrounding nature and the contour of mountains on the horizon. It perfectly epitomizes Italian and Chinese cultures, which share having elements of very old traditions merged with contemporary culture. The individual building facades echo this narrative concept in an alternation of the gray of traditional Chinese bricks with ash-gray concrete surfaces shaped into bas-reliefs and sculptures.

The images offer a mere preview of this event, which also gives an idea of what is being done in Italy for the universal expo in keeping with the program theme, "Feeding the Planet". Archea Associati has also designed the new Antinori Winery in Tuscany and other projects related to nature and architecture in China. With this project, it hopes to show that we can build the landscape and in the landscape, making it better and more pleasing.

Yanqing International Grape Expo Garden

The entire park, which is a Chinese national A3 level importance site, will open on 25th july. It covers a surface of more than 2.000.000 square meters from north gate to the south gate. Lavender gardens and grape landscape fields surround the main buildings: the Grape Museum, the visitor center; the high technology greenhouse; the north gate; the south gate and the service center. The grape expo park displays the largest amount of different grapes variety and breeds ever displayed in one single park. Grapes coming from all over the world and different technologies and techniques will be shown to the public.

The Park let the visitor live all the experiences focused on grapes: tasting; learning about grapes history; scientific education; wine culture; production experience; wine tourism and leisure.
With the Yanqing International Grape Expo China shows to the world how she wants to become an important actor in the wine producing (and consuming) economy. To do that China choose an italian design firm, one of the most experienced Italian firm of architecture related to landscape and wine culture: Archea Associati. The entire project was designed following the criteria of sustainability, respect for the environment and the preservation of natural resources. The park includes a huge wetland designed and created for the occasion. Rivers and lakes have been artificially created to realize a system that can also provide irrigation for grapes plants. A children dedicated area, recreational areas and leisure areas enrich the Park equipments.

As often happens when talking about China the times of construction have been as fast as possible for such a huge park. The whole park has been built in only 300 days, for a total time of one year and a half, including the concept phases of the project. The challenge was to be able to put together italian design culture, italian wine and nature culture with the chinese will to become one of the future leaders of the grape based economy. The cost of the architectural part has been of 118.490.000,00 CNY, the total cost of the park has been about 300.000.000,00 CNY. The park will be open from Friday 25th July to October 10th , closed for winter season and then open again in spring summer and autumn. Opening from 8:00 to 18:00, the entrance fee will be of 60 yuan/person and 30 yuan/person for students and elderly. It will remain a precious heritage for the Yanqing population and Beijing City.

The Yanqing County is planned to become the green expansion belt just out Beijing City, next to the great wall. Yanqing will be the center for future development of Beijing with high quality environment, strong nature based landscapes, tourism and leisure facilities. The Yanqing International Grape Expo Garden is the first step for the construction of the Beijing and the China of the future.

Originally published on February 11, 2015