In 2006, the city of Shenyang hosted one of the largest international horticultural expositions ever staged, transforming 246 hectares of forested land in Liaoning Province into a showcase of garden design from around the world. Rather than dismantling the grounds once the fair closed, the city converted the site into a permanent public park now known as the Shenyang Expo Garden (also called the Shenyang Botanical Garden), of which the Northwest Gate is one of the principal visitor entrances still in use today.
The 2006 Shenyang International Horticultural Exposition ran from May 1 to October 31, 2006, and at 246 hectares was, at the time, larger than any international horticultural exposition that had preceded it. Organized around the concept of "the only international horticultural garden in the forest," the exposition drew an estimated 3.5 million visitors over its six-month run, making it a major event both for Shenyang and for Chinese horticultural diplomacy, bringing together garden designs, plantings, and pavilions representing dozens of participating countries and regions.