Performers in the parade dressed as cartoon figures.	Two visitors try the giant Angry Bird attraction.	Two beauties: Young girl takes a photo with one of the performers.

Friis Arne Petersen, Denmark's ambassador to China, said at the awards ceremony that Chinese cities have increased their awareness of environmental protection in the process of urbanization, and are paying attention to the influence of the environment on citizens to build a harmonious urban ecology.

It requires the collective effort of the whole society to realize the goal, he noted.

Zhang Jie, deputy director of Fengtai, said the innovative ecological project award is a motivation for the district. The local government will "continue upholding the green and eco-friendly concept" in its future development, he added.

A demonstration of the "green" concept, the venue for the garden expo used modern technologies to restore the local land and ecology, transforming landfills to parks.

But that is just a beginning, said managers, vowing the experience in environmental improvement gained at the venue will be used in surrounding areas to improve the lives of Beijing residents.

Since it was opened four months ago, the expo's various parks and activities have attracted many tourists from across the world.

During the Dragon Boat Festival holidays in June, it welcomed up to 75,000 visitors a day, and the number climbed to 88,000 over the Mid-Autumn holiday this month.

Over the coming National Day break, it will offer concerts, painting and sculptures exhibitions, float parades and water shows.

In addition, there will be night shows during the seven-day holiday lasting from 6 to 10 pm every evening. The night ticket will be priced 70 yuan ($11.4), but those who have already bought the 100-yuan day tickets can also enjoy the night shows without buying extra night tickets.

Many activities and facilities are planned specially for children. On the east square of gate three there is a reality game of Angry Birds, where players can use real slingshot to fire toy birds. And on the Ziwei Square, a Super Mario-themed castle will offer inflatable slides and a maze.