Host city makes guests feel welcome

The lighting has a golden tint. "It is not only to echo BRICS, but the color represents a noble aura in Chinese tradition, and it creates a grand atmosphere," Xu explained.

Xu also mixed BRICS elements into the landscape in Xiamen.

Xu lit up the five bridges over a bay in Xiamen with colors that represent the five member countries of BRICS. He called it a "bay of friendship".

International guests are greeted by over 40,000 bonsai trees, and city officials have fixed English translation mistakes on street signs.

In line with its emphasis on environmental issues, it was planned as an event with zero carbon emissions, which is unprecedented in the history of the summit. The city estimated that 3,095 tons of carbon dioxide would be generated during the conference.

So plans call for planting 38.7 hectares of mangroves in a coastal area in Xiang'an district in 2018. It will become the city's biggest wetland park, and offset the summit's greenhouse gas emissions within the next two decades, city officials said.

"The project is to reflect the spirit of continuous development advocated by BRICS countries," said Tang Ying, an official of the economy department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.