China's floral market is booming ahead of the Spring Festival, with sales surging both online and offline, as the increase in quality, variety, and affordability of decorative flowers is driving demand to new heights.
Data from the China Flower Association and major e-commerce platforms show that this year's market is marked by rising household purchases, a wider variety of high-quality blooms, and more affordable prices.
Popular flowers like orchids and peonies are widely available, while new varieties such as wintersweet and holly are also gaining traction.
Sales of these emerging favorites have soared by over tenfold year on year on platforms like Huayibao, JD.com and Pinduoduo. Meanwhile, roses, lilies, sunflowers, and gerbera daisies -- popular among younger consumers -- have seen sales increases of over 50 percent.
The market is becoming more accessible, with a focus on freshness through cold-chain logistics and same-day delivery.
Flower sales have also expanded significantly into lower-tier cities and rural areas, with purchases in these regions increasing more than tenfold compared to previous years.
At the Dounan Flower Market of Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province, a major floral hub in China, traditional festival flowers like orchids and anthuriums are in high supply, and new varieties such as tulips and Australian plums are also in strong demand.
"Since tulips hit the market, weekly purchases have reached 400,000 stems, equivalent to the annual purchases of 100 physical stores. With cold-chain delivery, customers can receive their flowers the next day after placing an order," said Chen Longlong, a floral procurement manager for an online e-commerce platform.
Despite the surge in demand, prices remain reasonable. Lilies are priced at 10 yuan (about 1.4 U.S. dollars) per stem, while a pot of six to ten orchids costs between 200 and 300 yuan (about 27 to 41 U.S. dollars) -- 10 percent cheaper than in previous years.
China's flower market blooms ahead of Spring Festival
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's political stunts both at home and abroad cannot whitewash Japan's World War II (WWII) aggression, but instead expose the schemes of the country's far-right forces to incite bloc confrontation and promote remilitarization, says a China Media Group commentary published on Sunday.
An edited English version of the commentary is as follows:
In recent days, Takaichi has faced fierce criticism both domestically and internationally.
Her political stunt of kneeling in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier to lay flowers at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra during her visit to Australia further exposed her multiple political calculations to the international community.
Choosing to kneel in front of a tomb in Australia, Takaichi was not regretting for Japan's aggression and atrocities during World War II.
This act not only reveals the distorted world outlook of Japanese politicians, but also exposes their attempts to mislead public opinion, whitewash the crimes of WWII aggression, instigate bloc confrontation, and push for military buildup.
From "fawning diplomacy" during her U.S. visit in March to the recent kneeling show during her visit to Australia in May, Takaichi has been trying to cultivate a friendly image towards the West.
Geopolitically speaking, Japan's far-right forces are trying to expand their military and breach from the restraints of the pacifist constitution by exaggerating external threats. To this end, they are making every effort to exploit geopolitical conflicts and draw neighboring countries, especially Western countries, into bloc confrontation.
Since the end of WWII, Japanese leaders have never apologized to the people of victim countries such as China, the Republic of Korea, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Many Japanese politicians have even tried every means to justify the war crimes.
In particular, Takaichi has questioned the 1995 Murayama Statement, denied the Nanjing Massacre, visited the notorious Yasukuni Shrine annually for many consecutive years, and revived military rank titles during WWII, such as "taisa."
On the issue of Japan's history of aggression, Takaichi's insidious move cannot deceive the world.
Takaichi's political stunts both at home and abroad are a provocation against WWII victim countries in Asia and other regions.
This cannot conceal Japan's remilitarization attempt or the reality that " neo-militarism" is spreading and becoming a threat.
All countries that have suffered from Japanese militarist aggression should remain highly vigilant and united, and work together to safeguard the outcomes of WWII victory, so that historical tragedies never repeat themselves.
Takaichi's political stunts cannot whitewash Japan's history of aggression, remilitarization attempt: commentary
