The opening ceremony for the 2019 National Small and Micro Bonsai Exhibition and Bonsai Trade Fair is held in Rugao, Nantong, Jiangsu province, on April 30. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2019 National Small and Micro Bonsai Exhibition and Bonsai Trade Fair was held in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, from April 30 to May 5.

Hosted by the national Bonsai Artists Association and the bonsai branch of the Chinese Flower Association and organized by Rugao's Bonsai Industry League, the event consisted of three exhibition areas with a total of nearly 200 stands showcasing small and micro-sized bonsais, Rugao bonsais, and rare stones.

Bonsai artists from all over the country were also given a chance to demonstrate their skills during the event. 

During the opening ceremony on April 30, Rugao authorities announced that a national bonsai expo park would be built.

The park, to be located southwest of the main urban area of Rugao, will cover an area of 3.5 square kilometers and be divided into six sections for various types of bonsai works. The park is expected to become an education center and cultural tourism destination.

As one of the birthplaces of China’s bonsai industry, flowers and bonsai art in the city date back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and flourished during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911).

The city has already planted more than 1,300 types of flowers and bonsais, covering an area of over 200,000 mu (13,333 hectares) and bringing in an annual revenue of more than 20 billion yuan ($2.97 billion).

In 2011, Rugao was named “the home of China’s flowers and trees”, and it is currently home to the bonsai branch of the Chinese Flower Association and the Jiangsu Bonsai Museum. It hosts many bonsai events and has cultivated a large number of bonsai professionals.

A visitor photographs bonsai works at the exhibition in Rugao, Jiangsu province, May 1. [Photo/IC]

A bonsai artist demonstrates his craft during the bonsai event in Rugao, May 1. [Photo/IC]