The 14th China (Hefei) International Garden Expo opened on Tuesday in Hefei, Anhui province, and will run for three months with free entry.

Themed "Ecological priority, people's expo", the event is being staged in Hefei's Luogang Central Park. Covering an area of 12.7 square kilometers in the city's core area, the park, which is now completed, is believed to be the world's largest urban park.

The site was originally occupied by Hefei Luogang Airport, which had served the city for 38 years until 2012, when the city opened a new and larger airport in the suburbs.

In Luogang Park, the garden expo spans 3.23 square kilometers and features 38 urban gardens — 31 domestic and 7 international.

After the expo, all the gardens and distinctive buildings will be retained, according to the organizers — the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Anhui People's Government.

There are no physical barriers in the park. The idea is to create an unsurpassed platform for public leisure, enterprise value and appreciation of beauty, according to city authorities.

"We are striving to make the garden expo a tourist destination, a meeting place for citizens, a stage for culture and art and a children's amusement park," said Yu Aihua, Hefei's Party chief.