Chengshan Botanic Park, ready for the public after three years' construction, will open for a year-long trial at the end of this month.

Covering 207 hectares, the new garden in the southwest suburbs will be the city's largest: almost three times the size of the existing Shanghai Botanic Garden.

It possesses 9,000 species of plants and trees in its 26 sections, and hopes eventually to reach 30,000 to attain a long-term goal of ranking among the world's top 10 botanic gardens.

"A world-class botanic garden is needed in the city to ensure the diversity of plants and offer a platform for scientists to study the species," said Hu Yonghong, chief of the park.

The city has 146 public parks but only one botanic garden, and that one, Shanghai Botanic, is too limited in space to expand for new species. A new park was needed, said Hu.

The new park is surrounded by a 4,500-meter-long greenbelt with trees and plants, instead of cement walls or iron barriers.

A waterfall runs from Chenshan Hill, 71.4 meters high, into a deep lake at the park's spotlight: the Quarry Garden, constructed from an abandoned quarry.

A special garden encourages blind people to feel the plants and smell the scents. It's equipped with an audio system to guide the blind on tours of the foliage.

The park is full of rare or endangered species from all over the world. Of all the world's 200 surviving Acer Yangjuechi trees, five are in the new botanic garden.

The park will be open from 8am to 5pm. The 40-yuan entry fee will be raised to 70 yuan after the one-year trial.