A horticulture contest organized by the Guangdong Province Department of Education for vocational school students kicked off at the Guanlongshan campus of Shenzhen Polytechnic (SZPT) last Wednesday.

The contest followed the international standards and procedures of a skills competition.

During the contest session held between April 8 and 11, the two members of each participating team were required to turn a 49-square-meter sandy patch into a garden with features including plank roads, bridges, pools and flower beds, following certain requirements in design.

The range of error allowed for the implementation of their designs for the garden structures should be within 2 millimeters, according to the rules of the contest.

To complete the tasks, participants needed to carry sand and stone materials weighing around 5 to 6 tons. As a result, for contestants this is not only a test of basic skills and aesthetic tastes, but also a challenge of their physical strength.

Wang Xiaoming, secretary general of the Shenzhen Association of Landscape Architecture, said that preserving and improving the ecological environment is now a national strategy. Building a beautiful country has become a goal sought by all Chinese people.

Wang also praised SZPT for its strenuous efforts in preparing the materials and venues for the contest. The school has all along been focused in cultivating talents with specialized skills. (Wang Jingli)