A performance is held at the venue of the 2013 World Landscape Art Exposition, which opened in Jinzhou, Liaoning province, on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2013 World Landscape Art Exposition kicked off in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, on Friday, after attracting more than 300 artists from home and abroad.

The exposition will showcase 20 of the best-designed gardens selected from 103 works worldwide.

Jinzhou, the fourth city on the Chinese mainland to host a horticultural event of this scale after Kunming, Shenyang and Xi'an, expects to attract 10 million visitors through the gates over the following six months, according to Wang Guangming, a publicity official of the city.

Jointly supported by the International Federation of Landscape Architects and the Association of International Horticultural Producers, the expo covers 3.3 square km of land and 3.7 sq km of water.

One exhibit, the "Garden on the Sea", was created by using reclaimed salt-affected soil from foreshores and disused shrimp farms.

The project took two years to complete. It used 20 million cubic meters of sand and soil, cleaned up using various desalination devices and wind-proof technologies, according to Liao Huige, vice-director of the park's construction project.

"It's amazing how the city has been able to build such a big park with this kind of material.

"They really did a good job," said Desiree Martinez, president of the International Federation of Landscape Architects.

Wang Wenquan, Party chief of Jinzhou, said: "The expo will introduce Jinzhou to the outside world, help enhance its urban culture and cohesion, and upgrade the city's economic structure, especially in terms of environmental protection."