Nanyang in Henan province has rolled out a plan to build itself into an internationally renowned city of roses in the next three-to-five years, according to its forestry authorities.

The city won a bid to host the 2019 World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) Regional Convention last year and is gearing up for the event. The goals and major tasks in the preparatory work have been defined, the authorities said.

Nanyang will launch an institute, a gene pool with more than 8,000 varieties, an exhibition center for state-level new species and research center for Chinese roses, an international testing center, and a national rose information and logistics distribution center. The city will be developed into a leading rose breeding, production and export base for roses and their byproducts in China and the world.

The planting area of roses in Nanyang will increase from 100,000 mu (66.67 sq km) to 150,000 mu, producing Grade-A standard Chinese rose seedlings, including 100 million potted ones and 200 million for export.

The current annual output value for the industry is 10 billion yuan ($1.51 billion) – 3 billion yuan from the sales of rose nursery stock, 2 billion yuan from deep processing products based on roses and 5 billion yuan generated from rose-oriented eco-tourism and health care industries.

The city aims to use the most rose species in landscaping in the world. The flowers will be widely planted in urban areas with more than 600 species covering over 30 percent of the city's green spaces. The rose parks in the downtown area will take the lead domestically and internationally.

The Nanyang Rose Park and Binhe Rose Garden, the Lanhu Lake Rose Garden and the Nanyang Rose Expo Garden will finish rose planting by Dec 31 this year and all the constructions will be completed by Oct 31, 2018.

The Nanyang Rose Park is located at the crossing of the Ligao Road and Donghuan Road and has a planned area of 1,543 mu. Aiming to demonstrate the application of roses in city parks and promote cultural exchanges, the park has several specialized gardens, exhibition gardens, and themed gardens.

The Nanyang Rose Expo Garden is located at the foot of Dushan Mountain in Wolong district, covering an area of 1,000 mu. It will be expanded to 3,200 mu and developed into a gene pool with the functions of collection, storage, demonstration, research and leisure tourism.

The Binhe Rose Garden is located by Guangwu Bridge and has a planned area of 300 mu. It is an open rose-themed park that can be used to promote the city's culture and stage various activities for residents.

The Lanhu Lake Rose Garden in the Lanhu Lake Forest Park is located on the west bank of Lanying Reservoir and has a planned area of 200 mu. It has positioned itself as an ecological and experience-oriented garden featuring rose breeding, gardening and sightseeing. Visitors can plant roses in a designated area in the garden.

The city will plan rose-covered landscapes at its six highway toll stations – Dushan, Nanyang, Shuangpu, Zhaizhuang, Wolong and Zheshan – and at 13 traffic arteries. Green belts along eight inland waterways together with a 15.6-km green belt along the Baihe River will be built.

  

A 4.5-sq-km rose-themed town has been preliminarily planned for Dashiying village in Wolong district. It will mix European-style buildings with Chinese elements and create a romantic atmosphere. Chinese elements in gardening such as bridges and streams will be built in the town. Also to be established will be a management center, a tourist service center, a rose museum, an e-commerce platform, a flower market, a base for wedding ceremony and an academic exchange center.

Besides the 2,000 species the city has collected, Nanyang will increase its rose species to 8,000 and build the largest gene pool for roses in China. In addition, authorities say they will improve tourism, develop the flower industry and gain more global presence through hosting the WFRS Regional Convention and build an internationally famous rose city.

A green space will also be built in the 90-sq-km new urban area of Nanyang before 2018. It includes the 1,543-mu Nanyang Rose Park and other areas planted with various rose species.

Each district and county will build two or three 1,000-plus meter long rose avenues and at least one 100-mu rose garden. The Nanyang Rose Avenue in Wolong district shall be renovated and rural residents are encouraged to plant roses in their neighborhood. A tunnel linking the Zhangheng East Road with the Nanyang Rose Park and the roads connecting to the rose gardens shall be built and renovated. Some new expressways leading to the gardens in downtown area will be planned. Wolong district will also construct infrastructure facilities.