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The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was a flower festival held 1 November 2006, to 31 January 2007, in the Thai city of Chiang Mai that drew 3,781,624 visitors. It was one of the grand celebrations being hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of King Bhumibol, the world longest reigning monarch. The place gathers the South East Asia most numbers of tropical plants and flowers which are 2,200 plants on 2,500,000 trees. There is Ho Kham Royal Pavillion featuring Lanna architecture. The entrance of the pavilion is decorated by 30 glorifying gates with the images of duties and thoughts of the H.M. King. The gates are paralleled with Ratchaphruek trees. Exhibition hall, international garden and the King Glorifying Garden are also available. The garden is now opened for public and more activities are also held.
The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek Garden is situated 10km southwest of Chiang Mai, in Mae Hia sub-district Nestled in a lush mountain landscape, this 400 rai (240,000m2) of land is indeed a picturesque setting not only the garden itself with its many plant and flower species but also its unique and delicate artwork and architecture which enriches the minds of its visitors with its seductive natural beauty.The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek is the national flower of Thailand. It is also named “Khun” or “Chaiyaphruek”. The reason that the Ratchaphruek is used to symbolize the nation lies in color: its yellow blossoms match the yellow of Buddhism; furthermore, the Thai people regard yellow as the color of the King as well. Moreover, all golden shower trees bloom at the same time; this unity in flowering is felt to reflect the unity and identity of Thais.
