Before the dust kicked up by the truck had settled， scav- engers were jumping off to rummage through trash for valuables. This was the scene of Big Sand Hole on the bank of Yongding River in 2008. The environment was characterized by scavengers’ shabby houses， dusty roads and trash strewn across the land.
　　Five years later， Big Sand Hole has transformed into a sunken garden and received a beautiful new name： Splendid Valley. The 9th China （Beijing） International Garden Expo contributed to all these improvements.


　　 Location Selection
　　Splendid Valley is just one scenic spot of the Garden Expo Park. Others include Museums of Gardens， Yongding Pagoda， the main pavilion of the Expo， and other various garden landscapes. Garden Expo Park lies in Changxindian Town of Fengtai District， at the Fengtai section of the old canal from western Yongding River. Due to sand excavation in the 1970s， the old canal deteriorated into a massive hole. Later， 140 hectares of it became a landfill for building material waste， which attracted over 2，000 scavengers and their accompanying temporary shelters which covered more than 20，000 square meters.
　　“When the wind blew， our village was engulfed in dust and the smell of sewage，” recalls Miao Changfu， a resident of Zhangguozhuang， a village two kilometers from Garden Expo Park. Despite such awful conditions， it was chosen as the site for the Garden Expo. “To build a garden in such conditions is challenging，” remarks Zhang Jianguo， deputy head of Fengtai District.“But when we succeeded， it became a blueprint for the world. Our design concept， construction and ecological restoration will leave an invaluable treasure for all.”
　　Fengtai District took its own development into consideration when selecting the site of the Garden Expo. “Getting a garden was not our final goal，” Zhang explains. “The most important aim was accelerating our development. Through this event， we can attract more conferences， which will inject vitality into all of our industries and ultimately leave our people better off.”


　　 Miraculous Construction
　　“Many temporary shelters were built by migrants，” Zhang continues. “Although there was no large-scale relocation， still we faced stress.”
　　The most nerve-wracking problem， however， was dealing with a 30-meter-deep pit covering 10 hectares of the site. To fill it would require major resources in terms of both manpower and materials. Duanmu Qi， chief designer of Splendid Valley， and his staff took on the challenge. 　　“The selection of this locale aimed to turn garbage land green and a desert into a quality garden，” Duanmu explains. “Why not take advantage of the terrain by creating a valley full of scenic spots？ We can save construction costs and diversify the landscapes naturally occurring in the park.”
　　“After settling on a concept， we had to make sure it was feasible for real construction，” reveals Zhao Ziliang， a floral designer for Splendid Valley. “Technicians quickly discovered that the land was full of building material waste， but its base was so good that we could save the heavy work needed for soil restoration. Therefore， we decided to go ahead with the idea.”
　　“Building up a hill is a usual practice in the construction of garden landscapes，” illustrates Zhao. “It’s rare to use a valley. Since we had such a natural depression to employ， why not？ As for techniques， they weren’t problems. Previous examples are already available， such as Canada’s Butchart Gardens， which was built on a deserted limestone mine. We could apply their experience and techniques to our valley.”
　　“The park now includes 900，000 trees， 150，000 square meters of ground covered with flowers， and 10 hectares of green land，” exclaims Duanmu， adding that the figures have become unforgettable for him. Nowadays， instead of a smelly landfill， Splendid Valley is decorated with flourishing trees， flowers and winding brooks.
　　“The valley is green year-round and boasts bright flowers for three seasons，” smiles Duanmu， summarizing the charm of Splendid Valley. “Every season brings new beauty.”