Why is Britain's top botanical garden targeting the Chinese market? The UK's national treasure, the Eden Botanical Garden, is coming to China, transforming aquaculture farms in Qingdao and loess land in Yan'an into stunning botanical gardens. The site of the Eden Botanical Garden was once just an abandoned pit, but now it captivates visitors from all over the world with its expansive views and imaginative landscape design. Its iconic biological greenhouse houses the world's largest artificial rainforest, becoming an integral part of the local Cornish landscape. The Eden Botanical Garden officially opened to the public sixteen years ago. Today, it has gradually become one of the UK's most popular tourist attractions, drawing over 19 million visitors annually and generating £1.7 billion in revenue for the local economy. Upon entering the Eden Botanical Garden, visitors can see flowers, plants, and giant trees (such as kapok and balsa trees) from around the world. This vast, sunken botanical garden is covered by a circular dome made of special polycarbonate material, making visitors feel as if they have arrived at a lunar habitat. This unique topography has earned the Eden Botanical Garden numerous nicknames: "Horticultural Exposition," "Temple of Economic Botany," "The World's Most Stunning Classroom," and so on. However, according to Sir Tim Schmidt, the project's founder, the Eden Botanical Garden should offer a breathtaking, shared cultural experience, seamlessly connecting people and nature. Now, the Eden Botanical Garden is bringing this mission to China. In 2020, its first overseas project will be located in Qingdao, a sunny coastal city. Qingdao boasts two main attractions: year-round pleasant weather and its annual Beer Festival. The site of the botanical garden was once a salt field, later used for a period as a shrimp farm, suffering severe environmental damage, but is now gradually being restored and utilized. Located at the confluence of two rivers, it enjoys abundant water resources. The project is estimated to cost over £100 million, surpassing the Eden Botanical Garden in Cornwall, England, in both cost and scale. Logically, Eden Project's choice of China as the location for its first overseas project is surprising—China faces a severe environmental crisis, numerous pollution problems, and a lack of significant development for social enterprises. However, Eden's entry into China also demonstrates that China is undergoing a transformation, and a new green tourism market is emerging. The Chinese government has officially declared war on environmental pollution and treats environmental education as a top priority. Utilizing cultural attractions to raise environmental awareness while actively promoting the development of the domestic tourism industry may lay the foundation for the development of the ecological landscape industry in the 21st century. Creating a win-win situation for both ecology and economy from barren land is also the wish of the Chinese investors in the Eden Project. In its latest "13th Five-Year Plan" (2015-2020), the Chinese government has set a series of positive goals for reducing carbon emissions and building a clean energy revolution. For example, carbon intensity should decrease by 18% by 2020 compared to 2015; and the proportion of renewable energy in the energy structure should be increased to 15%. Just this month, the Chinese government promulgated a new "Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law," hoping to severely crack down on industrial pollution. Schmidt granted us a visit in his Cornwall office, stating, “In today’s China, we can see that economic development has fostered higher spiritual pursuits. The Chinese have realized that if the living environment is severely damaged, then no amount of development is meaningful.” Meanwhile, China has gradually made tourism another driving force for economic development. According to the State Council of China, by 2020, investment in China’s tourism industry is expected to increase to 2 trillion yuan (approximately US$147 billion), accounting for more than 12% of GDP. The arrival of the Eden Project precisely aligns with these goals. Besides being optimistic about China’s growing environmental awareness, the Eden Project also hopes to promote the prosperity and development of the experiential tourism industry. Compared to superficial sightseeing and novelty-seeking, experiential tourism emphasizes the interactive experience of tourists during the travel process. A 2016 McKinsey report, “Chinese Consumers Go Modern,” pointed out that the growth in the breadth of the Chinese market is nearing its end. The report states, "Consumers are becoming more selective in their spending, shifting from choosing products to choosing services, and from mass-market products to high-end products. They are pursuing a balanced lifestyle that prioritizes health, family, and experiences." McKinsey's report also found that people are becoming increasingly discerning in their spending, with lifestyle services and experiential consumption accounting for a larger proportion of their income. Furthermore, over half of the respondents plan to increase their spending on leisure and entertainment (last year's 50% increase in Chinese film box office revenue indirectly confirms this trend). Moreover, Chinese consumers believe that travel can enhance relationships between family members. Among the surveyed consumers, 74% indicated that travel helped them improve relationships with family members. Dr. Michael Mond, a leading figure in plant care and horticulture, has been involved in the Eden Project from its inception. He stated, “The government is more concerned with the economic benefits the project will bring to the local area. The project should not only boost tourism but also create jobs in agriculture and construction, thereby promoting resource revitalization rather than exacerbating the depletion of existing resources.” Mond said, “Victorian gardens in England are full of Chinese plants. Over the past 150 years, we have cultivated the best magnolias and azaleas from them, and these beautiful plants have become the main landscape plants in our botanical gardens, various British cities, and even throughout Europe and North America. However, China has not treated its own flora and fauna with the same care; they haven't distinguished which plants are the best choices for urban greening and slope stabilization.” Since Trump's election as US president, the geopolitical landscape between China and the West has been changing. The “Eden Botanical Garden” project is taking place against this backdrop. Under Trump's leadership, the US is gradually withdrawing from the global alliance for environmental cooperation, while there are increasing calls for China to take up the mantle of global climate leadership. The UK has just begun Brexit negotiations, and at this unprecedented critical moment, it should actively strengthen its relationship with China and consolidate bilateral trade cooperation. Of course, Schmidt also sees potential economic opportunities in energy and environmental cooperation with China. "What surprised me most was that while Western countries pride themselves on their business acumen, they seem oblivious to the potential economic opportunities that becoming a global leader in environmental technology could bring." "Trump's election as US president could be a once-in-a-century opportunity for China. I think it's like awarding China a penalty kick, greatly increasing its chances of reaching the podium. China's leaders may have the opportunity to prove to the world that China will open its arms to the world, rather than closing itself off." However, whether China can seize this opportunity remains to be seen. Source: Chinadialogue (July 18, 2017) (Compiled by PIDC)
