In September 2004, Houston, Texas, will represent the United States in the Fifth China International Flower and Garden Exposition to be held in Shenzhen, China. As a symbol of Houston's contribution to space exploration, the Houston Garden will be a permanent sculpture and horticulture installation depicting the solar system with the Sun Pavilion in the center surrounded by nine smaller gardens for the planets. The opening of the Garden will be heralded by the premiere of a major orchestral composition with a 100-voice Chinese chorus singing words expressed by NASA astronauts and space explorers from around the world. Thus, the Houston Garden and the associated large scale symphonic premiere will be a tribute to space exploration not only by the United States but also by other nations from other parts of the world, including China.

Houston's U.S. pavilion showcases three of Texas' internationally recognized artists: Texas sculptor Jesus Moroles, Houston composer Robert Avalon, and Houston landscape architects M2L. The garden is a high visibility project expected to draw at least 9,000 visitors daily, and 3 million visitors in total during the Exposition alone. Shenzhen's ten Sister Cities and several countries from around the world have been invited to present gardens at the Exposition along with major cities from around China. The Houston Garden will be the only one representing the United States. The U.S./Houston garden has received a prime lakeside location in the large park near the newly constructed Shenzhen Town Hall and state-of-the-art Concert Hall. After the Exposition, the Houston Garden will remain a permanent attraction open to the public and maintained by the Municipal Government of Shenzhen.

The City of Shenzhen has officially agreed to reciprocate by designing and constructing a garden in Houston within two years of the opening of the Exposition and the new Mayor of Shenzhen has endorsed this agreement. The garden to be constructed in Houston will be a gift from Shenzhen to the people of Houston and will be permanently maintained by Houston as a symbol of the exchange.

The creation of the Houston Garden in Shenzhen and the return by Shenzhen to make a reciprocal gift to Houston is the continuation of a process of cultural and economic exchange between the people and businesses of the area represented by the Greater Houston Partnership in the United States and the people and businesses of the Pearl River Delta Area in China. The building of the two gardens in the respective cities will facilitate exchanges between these two important regions of China and the United States. Upon their completion, the gardens will remain as permanent symbols of this cooperation and exchange in business, art, music, and general culture.

The cost of the US garden in Shenzhen, the majority of which will be sponsored by private donors is $1,400,000. The city of Shenzhen has contributed more than $500,000 of this amount in the form of land, garden maintenance, and building materials. The Houston - Shenzhen Sister City Association still needs to raise a substantial portion of the remaining $900,000 during the next two months in order to accomplish the landscaping, creation of the granite sculpture, and composition of the symphonic work for the opening of the Exposition on September 16, 2004. There is, therefore, considerable urgency to the fund raising effort.

Naming opportunities exist for the garden. Additionally, display spaces and media coverage will be made available for firms and individuals making leadership gifts to create the garden in the Exhibition Hall of the Exposition and at the Shenzhen High Tech Fair in October 2004. Donors will receive permanent acknowledgement in the form of naming of sections of the garden and recognition on plaques installed at the Expo Garden and will derive benefit from Houston publicity and a plaque installed when the Shenzhen Garden is built in Houston.

Garden of the Spheres