Thailand's Ratchaphruek Flora Expo

Last year, the King of Thailand achieved a great milestone of 60 years on the throne and the whole country had a 12-month celebration. This makes King Bhumibol, the world’s longest reigning monarch. One of the major events was the Ratchaphruek Flora Expo 2006, a 13-week horticultural show in the northern city of Chiang Mai. It was a spectacular showcase of tropical flora with 2,200 species and 2.5 million tropical plants from around the world and was attended by over 3.7 million people.

Thirty-three countries displayed a wide range of tropical and other plants in a beautifully landscaped 80-hectare ground. The Chiang Mai Flora Expo was the first of its kind in Asia and brought together dozens of nations which share common tropical species, trade ties, and good relations with Thailand.

Named after the pretty yellow ‘ratchaphruek’ flower – a colour that symbolises both the monarchy and the country’s Buddhism - The Royal Ratchaphruek ran from November 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007 and was a dazzling horticultural display of colour and natural beauty. Included was a custom built Royal Pavilion, market plaza, Tropical Thai garden, rare species competition, workshops, local cultural displays and presentations of culture from many of the countries taking part.

Perhaps the highlight for me was the exquisite Lanna styled Royal Pavilion located at the heart of the event site. Within it was an exhibition showing the tireless efforts of the Thai King towards sustainable agricultural and environmental projects to uplift the lives of Thailand’s rural poor and manage the country’s natural resources effectively – something for which he received international recognition from the United Nations.

Amongst the other highlights were the International Garden - a garden zone featuring national blossoms, blooms, and horticulture, as well as the culture, art and architecture of the participating countries. Another spectacular area was the Corporate Gardens, set aside for state enterprises and domestic and international major corporations to showcase the impressive floral and horticultural diversity for which their countries are known.

The show was also a way for the people of Thailand to say thank you to their green-fingered King who has helped to improve the quality of life for millions particularly through his work in establishing Royal Projects in agriculture. Visitors to the show were able to find out more about these agricultural projects as some of the gardens were designed to demonstrate the concepts and practices behind them.

Quick Tips:

The Royal Ratchaphruek is now finished but visitors can see the next best thing – the annual Chiang Mai Flower Festival during the first weekend in February. During this time the city is awash with vibrant colors ranging from the electric orange and lilac colors of the bougainvillea to the velvety blossoms of petunias in all shades of pink, white and purple.

Chiang Mai is probably my favourite Thai city so going anytime is a joy to me. For garden lovers, the botanic gardens are a constant delight and a trip to Mai Rim (about 20 kilometres outside the city) will let you visit some of the world’s best orchid farms. These are open every day and the colours and variety will amaze you.

Best Way To Get Around:

There is little point in talking about getting to and from or around the Flora Expo because it is now finished. Of more use to readers is information on Chiang Mai transport. The central city is reasonably compact so if your accommodation is central, you can walk to many of the city’s attractions.

If you need to go a bit further, the city still has many tuk-tuks (motorized three-wheelers) that are fast and generally reliable. You must negotiate the fare but if you work on 50 baht (US.50) for trips up to a couple of kilometers and 80 baht after that, you will be fairly safe.

There are also pick-up trucks and buses operating along most main roads.

We took a taxi from our hotel towards the Flora Expo but discovered that there were traffic restrictions near the site. After some debate the taxi dropped us about 200 metres from where the driver thought the entrance to be. Unfortunately, he proved to be wrong so we ended up wandering around the car parks before we saw directions to the main gate.

This was certainly a poor start and when we saw the lines of people waiting to enter we were put off even more. As we neared the lines we realized that these were people waiting to get entrance tickets and because we had pre-purchased ours, we were able to walk right on by. That lifted the spirits a bit.

The entrance statement was a group of Australian boab trees and these were certainly causing some excitement. The Australian boab tree (Adansonia gregorii) is related to the Madagascan and African Adansonia species known as baobabs. Like its relatives it is sometimes called a "bottle tree." All Adansonia species, Australian and African, have long been used as a staple food source by the indigenous populations. Studies on the species have shown parts of the tree to be exceptionally high in Vitamin C, more than ten times the Vitamin C content of oranges! We didn’t eat any of the trees but like many other people, we did take a couple of pictures.

Once inside the gates, map in hand, we decided that the smart thing to do was to catch the public road trains that circled the site. These cost Bt 30 and were advertised as doing a 30-minutes round-trip. This enabled us to get a quick appreciation of the whole site and decide which areas we wanted to spend most of the time. Unfortunately, we did about 90% of the circuit but were then told that everyone had to disembark because the trains had to do the remainder of the circuit empty. We then had a long walk to where we wanted to start our exploration.

Despite this somewhat shaky start to our day, from here on things improved considerably. We loved the country pavilions, the orchid house and garden and the magnificent Royal pavilion. In fact, when it was time to go, we wanted to stay and see more. The only problem was that nine hours of walking and looking had taken its toll and the body was just not up to it.

Several Thai corporations and companies decided that a picture of Thai rural life would provide an interesting setting for their garden display. In combination they provided the visitor with a rare opportunity to see some aspects of rural life up close. Apart from seeing the obvious houses, ponds, out-buildings, and rice houses, we learned about the way the household and village operated. It was very interesting.

We were told how certain basic rural social patterns are still seen in modern Thai rural society. United States anthropologist Jack M. Potter was quoted, "The spatially defined rural village, which receives the allegiance of its members, furnishes an important part of their social identity, manages its own affairs and communal property, and has its own temple and school, is present in all parts of Thailand as an ideal cultural model, although in many cases the actual form of community life only approximates it."

The temple (wat) remains the center of the rural community in many respects, although some of its functions, e.g., as an educational center, have been lost, and it is increasingly difficult to retain monks. Most rural communities built and maintain a wat because the Thais consider it necessary for a civilized social existence. The wat includes the special quarters and facilities reserved for monks, a building for public worship and religious ceremony, and a community meeting place. Abbots and senior monks often enjoy considerable prestige. In times of personal crisis, people often seek their advice.

Within the village, the basic organizational unit is the family, which changes its character over time. A nuclear family becomes, in time, a larger unit, but the death of the older generation once again leaves a nuclear family. Typically, a man in the rural areas goes to live with the parents of the woman he marries. Such residences are temporary except in the case of the youngest daughter. She and her husband (and their unmarried children) remain with her parents, taking care of them in their old age and inheriting the house when they die.

We saw how a rural family cooks under the house, how they can spin and weave silk cloth, how handicrafts are still important and how three generations interact smoothly and to the benefit of all. It all sounds too good to be true but we were assured that many Thais still live like this in a situation that we envy. It was one of the best social lessons I have ever had.

There was quite a carnival atmosphere at the international section of the Royal Flora. Lots of people gathered at the Netherlands pavilion. There were many tulips under shade cloth, I guess to protect them from the harsh sun that is here in Thailand compared to the kinds of conditions you might ordinarily see back in the Netherlands. It made a pretty display and the Thais loved it. There was a giant windmill creaking away in the background.

Across the road there was the Malaysian pavilion with its beautiful teak houses and tropical palms and the like, and along a bit was the Japanese pavilion.

Among the countries which showed their finest blooms and greenery were Japan, India, Indonesia, Spain, China, Vietnam, Bhutan, Qatar, Iran, Brunei, Turkey, The Netherlands, Mauritania, Gabon, Morocco, Trinidad and Tobago, Bulgaria, and Laos. All up there were 33 countries from 4 continents on display.

I particularly liked the Japanese pavilion with its large outdoor garden and its smaller indoor garden. Japan also brought in cultural performers and showcased the country’s traditions to join in the celebration for His Majesty the King of Thailand.

The Japan outdoor garden was designed in accordance with the theme of the Expo, "To Express the Love for Humanity," and with a view to wishing long life to the King. The highlights of the garden included a three-meter tall model of Mount Fuji, a pond that symbolizes the ocean, a "turtle" island symbolizing longevity, and a "crane" stonework symbolizing fortune.

Not only did Japan participate in the event on the national government level, the country's three prefectural governments; Hyogo, Kyoto, and Osaka, also joined to build a "Kansai Cultural Garden." This garden is a present the three prefectural governments have given to Thailand in return for Thailand providing assistance to the Hyogo prefecture when it was hit with an earthquake in the past. The garden was designed in a traditional "Karesansui Garden" style using a bamboo fence and stone garden.

Another pavilion that appealed was that of the Lao PDR. It was in the form of a Luang Prabang-style temple. While the Thai and Laos vegetation is similar, this style of temple is different to those seen in Thailand and many Thais commented that it was better than their own.

The centrepiece of the Royal Flora Expo was the Royal Pavilion, constructed in the exquisite Lanna architectural style, right in the heart of the event site. This had a display of artworks dedicated to the king as well as an exhibition of his contributions to Thailand's industry and agriculture.

The building was stunning and could be seen from most parts of the Expo. It was built on high ground at the end of the main Expo spine. The ground floor displayed the King’s initiatives and activities focusing on the agricultural projects. We and most other visitors were surprised by the countless ways in which the lives of the people have been positively affected by His Majesty the King’s work and his dedication to the Thai people.

The upper floor was a spectacular space. Inside were decorative works created by the renowned artist Associate Professor Precha Thaothong. The most spectacular is the 10-virtue tree, made up of 21,915 leaves, representing each day of the 60 years King Bhumibol has been on the throne. The tree was constructed in clusters of lotus blossoms, nine blossoms per cluster. Bodhi leaves of copper, silver, and gold were attached. On each leaf was crafted one of the 10 Royal virtues which the King has exhibited in ruling his subjects for the past 60 years.

From the upper floor of the Royal Pavilion, there was a good view over the Thai Tropical Garden. This was a colossal 100,000 square metre area where visitors were able to witness first-hand an extensive variety of tropical horticulture encompassing fruits, plants, flowers, and herbs. This was the largest area of the Expo and the garden contained a range of exhibits including the Shaded Paradise, Grower House, Sky Walk, Biotech Greenhouse, Tropical Dome and Sunken Garden. Collectively, these exhibits gave a great insight into the development of new varieties of plants, the importance of horticulture in Thailand and how soiless technology is being developed.

Another highlight was the performance of the marching bands from the Royal Thai army and many schools which was held on the front path of the Royal Pavilion from 1 to 1.45pm on the day we were there. This complimented the daily cultural events which occurred at the Grand Amphitheatre and the Music Theatre. While we were there, the Kho Pai Thai musical band and the Spanish Caleidoscopia were performing in these venues.

This spectacular and unprecedented display of orchids from around the world brilliantly showcased Thailand's potential as a global orchid centre. Over 50,000 orchid plants representing nearly 10,000 different native species, hybrid varieties, new as well as rare orchids were on display. The result was stunning and this was one of my favourite areas of the whole Flora Expo. I was not surprised when we were told that this was the largest and longest-running orchid exhibition and competition ever held in Thailand.

The Orchids of the World section was designed to demonstrate Thailand’s potential for being the orchid capital of the world, to promote the growth and development of the orchid industry; promote greater awareness of technological advances in orchid cultivation and production; and highlight Thailand’s success in research and development initiatives related to orchid cultivation and production. I don’t know whether these aims were achieved but I do know that the pavilion and adjacent garden were always crowded with visitors and all were impressed with what they saw.

The adjacent Orchid Park was the largest of its kind ever created in Thailand. It was specially designed to showcase a wide variety of exquisite orchids in surroundings that emulate closely their natural habitats and it achieved this dramatically. My wife and I became separated in this area and it took us 45 minutes before we got back together simply because we were both fascinated by everything on display.

The display brought a range of orchid ‘heavyweights’ together. The exhibition was jointly organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Department of Agriculture and Horticultural Science Society of Thailand, along with the Ornamental Plants Association of Thailand, numerous orchid clubs and associations, educational institutions and other related government organizations. It was supported by the International Society for Horticultural Science and the World Flower Council.

During the Flora Expo the organizers held weekly orchid competitions. These include natural orchid gardens; landscaped orchid gardens featuring the innovative or imaginative use of orchids; potted orchids; and cut flowers. One of the competitions was live orchid arrangement in which entrants used their creativity to design an arrangement of living orchid plants, either incorporated into a small natural garden setting or combined with other decorative objects in a free style arrangement. We were amazed by the wonderful creations.

While I had always liked orchid flowers, this exhibition has given me new appreciation of the beauty, fragility, and variety available. I am growing a few in my own garden and if  I succeed, they will be a wonderful reminder of my Thailand visit and particularly of the Flora Expo.