Flower sellers across China are seeing their auspicious varieties sought after by customers who began to decorate their home in the run-up to the traditional Spring Festival.
Colorful bromeliads and butterfly orchids are typically seen as lucky symbols for the new year, and this year in flower markets across China, they are in plenty supply as usual.
In Luohe City, central China's Henan Province, flower farmers said butterfly orchids are now the prime choice for customers coming to pick a plant to decorate their houses and many of them said they choose butter orchids because of their bright colors.
"The Spring Festival is just around the corner and I've come to buy some potted flowers to decorate my home. Butterfly orchids have bright colors, so I plan to put some of them in my home to warm up the atmosphere for the near year," said Luo Xiaobei, a customer.
Boxes of potted bromeliads are also sent to south China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster from Ganzhou City of east China's Jiangxi Province. The auspicious plants have a long flowering period and are thus highly welcomed on the market.
The rising demand is at the same time fueling the development of flower cultivation technologies. In Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, butterfly orchid farmers have been cooperating with universities and research institutes to develop new varieties and technologies and they said that annual sales of the flower reached over 200 million yuan (over 27 million U.S. dollars) over the recent years.
"Technologies are used to promote flower induction and to prevent and control pests and plant diseases. We have also made the pots with more permeable materials and are using air-conditioners to simulate the natural environment so that we can induce flowering throughout the whole year and ensure plenty supply to the market," said Zhu Guangchang, a butterfly orchid farmer.
The upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan 29, 2025, with an eight-day public holiday running from Jan 28 to Feb 4.
Auspicious flowers win favor of Chinese customers as Spring Festival draws near
Despite attempts by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in the Taiwan region to obstruct normal exchanges and cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, extensive cross-Strait interactions continue to thrive.
The recent moves by the DPP authorities are sinister in intent and aimed at pursuing their secessionist goal, according to Zhang Hua, a research fellow at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"The DPP authorities have manipulated the so-called narrative of 'anti-China and resistance against China,' which is gravely harmful as it exacerbates social rifts in Taiwan. Currently, due to factors such as 'political mobilization' and the 'political election market,' contrasting emotions among the public in Taiwan have been persistent. Furthermore, differences in words have led to a situation characterized by 'green terror,' which naturally further worsens social rifts on the island," said Zhang.
"In March 2025, the DPP authorities concocted the so-called '17 responding strategies,' and in November 2025, they again concocted two action plans to limit cross-Strait exchanges. The purpose is the same as the current revisions to the so-called 'laws.' Lai Ching-te aims to pursue secessionist goal through soliciting support from the United States and seek Taiwan secession through military build-up. So, he cannot allow the people of Taiwan to read books from the Chinese mainland, watch films from the mainland, or play games produced in the mainland. He views these as methods used by the mainland to influence the public in Taiwan through 'united front tactics.' This leads to the further strengthening of local people's identification with the Chinese nation and their consciousness as Chinese, which he is reluctant to see, " Zhang said.
On Thursday, a campus version of Chinese Kunqu opera masterpiece "The Peony Pavilion" performed by students from the mainland took to the stage in Taipei, filling the venue to capacity. The combination of ancient and modern arts received rounds of applause.
Among the audiences, young people from Taiwan comprised about half, with many university students attending in groups.
"We love it, because it helps us understand a part of our history," said an audience member in Taiwan.
"I hope that through this classical work, young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait will develop a love for traditional culture. The Chinese nation has a glorious history spanning thousands of years. If we don't understand it, how can we comprehend the future? We must understand where our roots lie," said Pai Hsien-yung, a playwright in Taiwan.
Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest forms of opera in China with a history of hundreds of years, was placed on the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001.
Written by Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), "The Peony Pavilion" tells the story of the romance between a daughter of a wealthy official and a talented but poor young scholar.
Cross-Strait exchanges, cooperation go on despite DPP obstructions
