Shenyang Expo Garden is located at No. 301 Shuangyuan Road, Hunnan District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction and a large comprehensive park integrating horticultural landscapes, ecological environmental protection, science education, and leisure entertainment. The park was formerly the venue of the 2006 China Shenyang World Horticultural Exposition. After the exhibition ended, it was retained and optimized into a permanent scenic area. The scenic area features "harmonious coexistence of nature and humanity" and gathers garden architecture and plant landscapes from five continents and various parts of China, blending horticultural styles and cultural elements from different regions. The park covers a total area of about 217 hectares, including a water area of about 14 hectares. It has more than 100 exhibition gardens of various types and more than 2,000 plant species. It is currently the largest and most content-rich horticultural exposition park in Northeast China. The landmark building in the park, the Lily Tower, is 125.8 meters high and is one of the largest sculpture-style buildings in Asia, becoming an important landmark in eastern Shenyang.
Historical Culture
The history of Shenyang Expo Garden began in 2004. To host the 2006 China Shenyang World Horticultural Exposition, Shenyang City started construction of the park near Qipan Mountain Scenic Area, which took two years to complete. From May 1 to October 31, 2006, the exposition was successfully held, attracting exhibitors from 52 countries and regions around the world, 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China, and several international organizations. The number of visitors reached 12.6 million, setting a record for the World Horticultural Exposition at that time.
After the exposition ended, the park was renovated and upgraded and officially opened to the public in 2007, becoming a permanent horticultural theme park. Its construction and development witnessed the progress of China's horticultural industry and the deepening of international cultural exchanges. The preserved exhibition gardens and characteristic buildings from various countries in the park have become a microcosm of garden art and culture from different countries and regions, with important commemorative significance and ornamental value. As a landmark project in Shenyang's urban development, the Expo Garden has also promoted the improvement of the local ecological environment and the upgrading of the tourism industry.
Main Attractions
Lily Tower
Lily Tower is the landmark building of Shenyang Expo Garden. It is located at the commanding height in the middle of the park, 125.8 meters high and 10 meters in diameter. Its main body is a steel structure, and its appearance is in the shape of a lily flower, symbolizing "a harmonious union lasting a hundred years" and "harmonious development." The tower is equipped with an elevator, and visitors can go directly to the observation deck at 80 meters high to overlook the entire Expo Garden and the surrounding landscape. The tower body is decorated with an LED lighting system. When lit at night, it presents colorful light and shadow effects, complementing the surrounding garden landscapes. As one of the tallest sculpture-style buildings in Asia, Lily Tower is not only the visual center of the park but also an important landmark in eastern Shenyang.
International Garden Area
The International Garden Area is located in the northeast part of the park, covering an area of about 30 hectares. It concentrates on displaying the garden landscapes and architectural features of more than 50 countries and regions. Among them, the French Garden is modeled on the Gardens of Versailles, with fountains, sculptures, and neatly trimmed hedges; the Japanese Garden reflects the "dry landscape" style, using stone, sand, and moss to create a simple and tranquil mood; the Thai Garden's pagoda and Southeast Asian-style pavilions are full of exotic charm. Each exhibition garden is built according to that country's traditional gardening techniques and planted with characteristic plants, such as tulips in the Dutch Garden and olive trees in the Italian Garden, allowing visitors to appreciate the diversity of world garden art without going abroad.
Domestic Garden Area
The Domestic Garden Area is distributed in the northwest part of the park, covering an area of about 40 hectares. It consists of exhibition gardens from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, showcasing the garden culture and folk customs of different regions in China. The Beijing Garden features royal garden style, with archways, corridors, and a stone boat imitating the Summer Palace; the Suzhou Garden replicates the classic elements of Jiangnan gardens, with winding bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and terraces complementing one another; the Yunnan Garden highlights ethnic minority customs, planting bougainvillea, palms, and other tropical plants, accompanied by Dai bamboo houses. Each exhibition garden not only reflects the local architectural style but also incorporates characteristic cultural symbols, such as the Terracotta Warriors sculpture in the Shaanxi Garden and the prayer flags and pagodas in the Tibet Garden, forming a condensed picture of Chinese gardens.
Shenyang Botanical Garden
Shenyang Botanical Garden is an important part of the Expo Garden. It is located in the southern part of the park, covering an area of about 60 hectares. Its predecessor was Shenyang Botanical Garden, first built in 1959. It is one of the professional botanical gardens with the longest history in Northeast China. The garden is divided into multiple specialized gardens according to plant species, including the Peony Garden, Chinese Peony Garden, Cherry Blossom Garden, and Sweetgum Garden. It has collected more than 2,000 species of plants from Northeast China, North China, and some southern regions, including more than 50 species of nationally key protected plants. In spring, cherry blossoms and peach blossoms bloom competitively; in summer, lotus flowers and water lilies cover the lake surface; in autumn, sweetgum and smoke tree leaves turn red like fire; in winter, pines and cypresses remain green, and wintersweet emits fragrance. There are scenery to enjoy in all four seasons. The garden also has a plant science museum, which displays plant growth patterns and ecological value through pictures, texts, and specimens, combining ornamental and educational functions.
Rose Garden
The Rose Garden is located in the middle of the park. It is currently the largest greenhouse flower exhibition area in Northeast China, covering an area of about 12,000 square meters. It is a steel-structured glass curtain wall building, divided into an indoor exhibition area and an outdoor garden. The indoor exhibition area uses a temperature control system to simulate environments of different climate zones and cultivates more than 300 species of roses and Rosaceae plants from around the world, including rare varieties such as red roses, white roses, and blue roses, blooming in all four seasons. The outdoor garden is themed on roses and features flower borders, flower corridors, and a sunken plaza. From spring to autumn, roses of various colors bloom competitively, forming a romantic sea of flowers. The garden also has a rose culture exhibition, introducing the cultivation history, symbolic meaning, and implications of roses in different cultures. It is a popular spot for tourists to take photos.
Food
Special Dining in the Park
There are several dining areas in the Expo Garden, providing various specialty foods. Among them, the "Expo Garden Flavor Snack Street" concentrates specialty snacks from various parts of Liaoning. Shenyang chicken racks are a must-try food, using various methods such as braising, smoking, and roasting. The meat is tender and the flavor is unique, about 15-20 yuan per portion. Haicheng stuffed pancakes have thin skins and generous fillings, with flavors such as pork and beef. They are eaten with millet porridge, 8-10 yuan per portion. In addition, there are Jinzhou barbecue, Dalian teppanyaki squid, and others, with affordable prices, suitable for convenient meals during sightseeing. Themed restaurants in the park, such as "Lily Pavilion," provide Northeast home-style dishes such as sweet and sour pork and Di San Xian, with an average consumption of about 50-80 yuan per person. The environment is comfortable and can accommodate group dining.
Surrounding Food
There are many restaurants within 5 kilometers around the Expo Garden, mainly Northeast cuisine and farmhouse dishes. "Farmhouse Iron Pot Stew" is 3 kilometers away from the park and specializes in iron pot stewed goose and iron pot stewed fish. It uses traditional iron pots for slow stewing, paired with corn pancakes, potatoes, vermicelli, and other side dishes. The flavor is rich, and a set meal for 4 people is about 150-200 yuan. "Qipan Mountain Free-Range Chicken Restaurant" is located in Qipan Mountain Scenic Area on the northeast side of the park and specializes in free-range chicken, which can be made into chicken stewed with mushrooms, chicken soup noodles, and others. The chicken is tender, and the soup is rich. Half a chicken is about 80-100 yuan. In addition, there are Korean restaurants nearby, providing cold noodles, bibimbap, and others, with an average consumption of 30-50 yuan per person, suitable for tasting after sightseeing.
Tickets：
Ticket 50 yuan/person.
You can search for the official public account "Shenyang Expo Garden Scenic Area" on WeChat to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours：
Opening hours adjust with the seasons: April 1-October 31 is peak season, opening hours are 8:30-17:30 (last entry at 16:30); November 1-March 31 of the following year is off-season, opening hours are 9:00-16:00 (last entry at 15:00). Among them, the opening hours of the Rose Garden Greenhouse are 9:00-17:00 (peak season) and 9:30-15:30 (off-season); the tower climbing time of Lily Tower is consistent with the opening hours of the park. Some outdoor exhibition gardens may be closed in winter due to weather conditions. It is recommended to confirm through official channels before traveling.
Tour Route：
A recommended one-day tour route covering core attractions: enter from the main entrance at 8:30 a.m., first take the sightseeing bus to the Rose Garden (about 10 minutes), visit the indoor and outdoor rose exhibition areas (about 1 hour); then walk to Lily Tower and climb the tower to overlook the panorama (about 40 minutes); at 11:00 go to the International Garden Area, focusing on the French Garden, Japanese Garden, and Thai Garden (about 1.5 hours); at 12:30 dine at the snack street near the International Garden Area (about 1 hour); at 13:30 go to the Domestic Garden Area and visit the Beijing Garden, Suzhou Garden, and Yunnan Garden (about 2 hours); at 15:30 walk to Shenyang Botanical Garden and visit the Peony Garden and Cherry Blossom Garden (about 1 hour); at 16:30 return to the main entrance, and on the way you can buy specialties at the souvenir shop. The whole journey combines walking and sightseeing buses, with a tour time of about 8 hours. You can adjust the stay time at each attraction according to your interests.
Transportation：
Subway: Take Shenyang Metro Line 1 to Pangjiang Street Station, transfer to Bus No. 168 Branch to "Expo Garden" Station, walk about 5 minutes to the main entrance of the park. The whole journey is about 1.5 hours. The subway fare is 2-4 yuan, and the bus fare is 5 yuan.
Bus: In the city, you can take Bus No. 168, Bus No. 385, Lei Feng Hao intercity bus, and other bus lines directly to "Expo Garden" Station. Among them, Bus No. 168 departs from Shenyang North Station every 30 minutes, with a journey of about 1 hour and a fare of 5 yuan; Bus No. 385 departs from Wu'ai Market every 40 minutes, with a journey of about 1.2 hours and a fare of 4 yuan.
Self-driving: Starting from downtown Shenyang, drive east along Dongling Road and Shuangyuan Road. The distance is about 20 kilometers, and it takes about 40 minutes. The parking fee in the park parking lot is 10 yuan/time for small cars and 20 yuan/time for large cars, with sufficient parking spaces.
Tourist Line: Many travel agencies in the city offer one-day tours to the Expo Garden, including round-trip transportation and tickets. The price is about 100-120 yuan/person. You can sign up at hotels or travel agency stores.
Must-Visit Attractions：
Lily Tower: A landmark building 125.8 meters high. Climbing the tower allows you to overlook the whole park. The lights are gorgeous at night. It is the symbol of the park.
International Garden Area: Gathers garden landscapes from more than 50 countries. The fountains of the French Garden, the dry landscape of the Japanese Garden, and the pagoda of the Thai Garden show the diversity of world gardening.
Domestic Garden Area: Characteristic exhibition gardens from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). The royal garden of the Beijing Garden, the Jiangnan charm of the Suzhou Garden, and the ethnic characteristics of the Yunnan Garden form a miniature of Chinese gardens.
Rose Garden: A 12,000-square-meter greenhouse flower area. More than 300 kinds of roses bloom in all four seasons. The indoor and outdoor sea of flowers is romantic and suitable for photos.
Travel Suggestions：
Suggested tour time is 1 day. The best visiting seasons are April-May (spring flowers in bloom) or September-October (gorgeous autumn scenery). In summer, pay attention to sun protection. In winter, you can enjoy greenhouse flowers.
The park is large, and walking the whole route is about 15 kilometers. It is recommended to buy a sightseeing bus pass (50 yuan) to save energy and visit key attractions on foot.
Food prices are relatively high. You can bring dry food and drinking water and eat in the rest areas of the park; if you want to taste specialty food, you can choose the snack street or surrounding farmhouse dishes.
Before visiting, you can get a free guide map at the entrance to plan your route; or rent an electronic audio guide (30 yuan/unit) to learn about the cultural background of each exhibition garden.
There are many tourists on holidays. It is recommended to enter at 8:30 when the park opens to avoid the peak; photography enthusiasts can bring telephoto lenses to shoot details of flowers and buildings.
Precautions：
Picking flowers and plants and trampling on lawns are prohibited in the park. Please protect plants and public facilities. Violators will face fines.
The temperature in greenhouse exhibition areas (such as the Rose Garden) is relatively high. In summer, you can take off your coat in advance when entering to stay comfortable.
Sightseeing buses run on fixed routes. You need to get on and off at designated stations. Pay attention to the last bus time (17:00 in peak season, 16:00 in off-season).
There are many mosquitoes in summer. It is recommended to carry mosquito repellent; in rainy days, bring rain gear. Some sections may be slippery, so pay attention to walking safety.
There are medical points and tourist service centers in the park. In case of emergency, you can seek help.