The 24th China (Shouguang) International Vegetable Sci-Tech Fair is set to open in Shouguang, Shandong province on April 20. [Photo/IC]

The 24th China (Shouguang) International Vegetable Sci-Tech Fair will kick off in Shouguang, Shandong province on April 20, aiming to create immersive experiences for visitors from China and abroad, while displaying items in such fields as horticultural technologies, planting models, new vegetable varieties, as well as modern agricultural equipment.

With the theme of "Green, Technology, and Future", the fair will cover an exhibition area of 450,000 square meters with 1,000 indoor and outdoor booths.

It boasts themed exhibition halls, fruit-picking gardens, high-yield planting areas in greenhouses, the Shouguang Vegetable Museum, leisure farms, as well as outdoor exhibitions concentrating on such fields as vegetable seedling cultivation, standard production, processing and sales, technical training, exchanges, and tourism. The fair is not only a window showcasing agricultural scientific and technological achievements and products, but also a key platform to boost Shouguang's foreign trade and exchanges.

More than 2,000 varieties of vegetables are to to exhibited at the fair. [Photo/IC]

More than 2,000 varieties of vegetables will be exhibited, including about 400 new varieties, such as tomatoes, Zilong peppers, fruit eggplants, and huge winter melons.

There will also be more than 80 planting modes, such as vertical farms and cultivation of aerospace varieties, as well as 100 new technologies, such as multi-variety grafting technology, nutrient control of trees, upside-down cultivation of loofah, and digital network control.

The fair has developed an online mini program to provide visitors with information, such as ticket purchases, scenic spots, accommodation, catering, and surrounding tours, in real time. It also has a panorama virtual reality exhibition hall and a three-dimensional online platform for each hall.

The event will launch immersive night tours integrating sightseeing, entertainment, and shopping by combining sound and light effects with vegetable gardening.

More than 200 creative spots featuring vegetable culture will be presented at the fair. For example, visitors can learn vegetable planting techniques at the Vegetable Planting Technology Hall and appreciate traditional Chinese medicine at the Medicinal Food Homology Hall.