Visitors pose for a photo at the ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo in Beijing, May 18, 2013. [Photo by Wang Jing/Asianewsphoto]

BEIJING - The ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo, which will run for six months, kicked off alongside the Yongding river in Beijing on Saturday.

The expo will showcase garden styles from 69 Chinese cities and 37 cities of 29 countries from around the world, the expo's organizers said.

The expo site, which covers an area of 513 hectares, consists of 128 exhibition parks.

The country's first national-level garden museum, The Museum of Chinese Gardens, also opens on Saturday at the expo site. It contains six gardens, nine indoor exhibitions and a collection of 5,000 objects.

Jiang Weixin, minister of housing and urban-rural development, said the garden expo has become an important platform for countries to spread horticulture, deepen exchanges and cooperation, and showcase latest achievements on gardening since it was first held 16 years ago.

"This year's expo takes place on a 100-year-old landfill site using ecological restoration technology. Such practice should be promoted nationwide," Jiang added.

The expo is hosted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Beijing Municipal Government.