President Ma Ying-jeou was joined by Premier Wu Den-yih and Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-pin to show support at the opening of the last major exhibition of the Taipei International Flora Exposition. As the final effort to boost the number of visitors, the Taiwan Flower Show II, that's currently held at the EXPO Dome, features the nation's top flowers, including roses and orchids.

President Ma Ying-jeou presided over the opening ceremony of the final exhibition at the Taipei International Flora Exposition's EXPO Dome.

The 2011 Taiwan Flower Show II's exhibits include 45 new floral species, 15 plants endemic to Taiwan, and 14 new horticultural technologies.

Visitors praised the grafting technique exhibition that fused 10,000 dancing doll orchids to tree branches, while Ma was particularly impressed by the garden inspired by Chinese ink brush paintings.

Noting that Taiwan's horticultural exports have grown by 40% since 2008, Ma said that Taiwan has succeeded in becoming the world's leading floral island.

The president further expressed hopes that Taiwan can draw on the success of the Flora Expo to further develop its domestic horticultural industry.

The Flora Expo will close on the 25th, and is expected to reach the target visitor number of 8 million on Sunday.

A number of the 14 main pavilions will remain open to the public after the Expo concludes.