LISSE, Netherlands, March 5 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange will conduct the official opening of this year's 59th edition of the international Keukenhof flower show. He will be joined by Mr Niu Youcheng, Deputy Mayor of Beijing and Ms Erica Terpstra, Chairwoman of the Netherlands Olympic Committee & Sport Foundation.
This year, Keukenhof has chosen China, the 2008 Olympic Games and Beijing as the themes for the flower park. The Prince of Orange is a member of the International Olympic Committee. The opening ceremony will be held on Wednesday, 19 March. The flower show will be open to the public from 20 March until 18 May.
In addition to the theme highlighting the Olympic Games and Paralympics scheduled to be held this year in Beijing, the Keukenhof will also be focusing special attention on China's cultural and historical significance through special events, the inspirational garden and a variety of shows. An enormous dragon is also slowly awakening underneath the soil: this spring, 24,500 tulip and grape hyacinth bulbs will burst into bloom, forming a 15 by 10 meter floral mosaic of this traditional Chinese symbol.
Over the past months, a total of seven million flower bulbs have been planted in the park in order to herald another vibrant and colourful spring at Keukenhof. In addition to traditional elements, this year the 32 hectare park will present visitors with many new developments, which are intended to turn it into a common ground between nature and culture.
Due to the limited space available for the opening ceremonies, Keukenhof may have to implement conditional access to the event. Prior to the opening, the Keukenhof will host a press conference in the Juliana pavilion. Times: 12:45 (in English) and 13:30 (in Dutch).
Netherlands Government Information Service, Media & Public Relations Department, tel +31(0)70-35-64142.
