Flower markets across China are bursting into vibrant life these days, as consumers hope to add a festive atmosphere at homes for the arrival of the nation's most important holiday, the Spring Festival, which falls on Jan 29 this year.
At the Beijing Flower Trading Center, the impressive display of flower wall at the entrance is composed by azaleas grown in Bijie City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, which is over 2,000 kilometers south from Beijing. Thanks to a special technology of flower control, these southern flowers are able to blossom in cold winter days in Beijing.
"Our expert team uses techniques, like temperature and humidity control, to simulate the conditions of the spring season. This allows the azaleas from Guizhou to bloom precisely for the Spring Festival market and meet Beijing consumers," explained Zhang Meijuan, an exhibitor at the Beijing Home Gardening Carnival.
In Guangzhou City, the Zengcheng District is home to 18 villages doing flower business, which has lifted over 1,500 villagers out of poverty. Their output value totaled 57 million yuan (about 7.8 million U.S. dollars) from nearly 133.3 hectares of planted area.
To bring convenience for both buyers and sellers, Guangzhou has launched an innovative flower treasurer map. By simply scanning a QR code, flower vendors and consumers can access comprehensive information on regional flower varieties, market locations, purchasing methods, and even precise details, like grower addresses, specific breeds, and quantities available.
"China is the world's largest flower grower and consumer. The flower planting area across the country is approximately 1.5 million hectares, while over 5 million people work in the flower industry which is truly activating new momentum for economic growth," said Yang Shuhua, director of the Department of Ornamental Horticulture at the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
In Shenzhen, another city of Guangdong, 10 districts have opened its Spring Festival flower market. Among those, the one opened in Luohu District has set up seven major exhibition areas with 339 stalls. On Tuesday, the first day of the opening, the flower market attracted many locals and tourists.
"This flower market is very beautiful and lively. I even saw a Chaoshan Yingge Dance (a form of folk dance popular in Guangdong's Chaoshan area)," said a tourist from Hong Kong.
In Zhangzhou City of east China's Fujian Province, the Baihuacun flower trading market was filled with consumers who hoped to pick out their pots of orchid or daffodil these days. During this peak season, the market could have a daily sale of approximately 40 million yuan (about 5.5 million U.S. dollars) during this peak season.
"I came here to choose some suitable flowers as gifts. And the prices of flowers are also very affordable," said a local resident.
China's flower markets boom as Spring Festival nears
