14 Chinese New Year Fairs across Hong Kong have opened on Wednesday (February 11th) and will remain open until 7:00 AM on February 17th. The 14 fairs will feature approximately 1,500 stalls selling fresh products, dried goods, fast food, festive plants, flowers, decorations, and couplets, etc.
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: rednote
The Victoria Park Chinese New Year Fair, the largest one in Hong Kong, has set up 400 stalls. Many residents arrived early in the morning for New Year's product purchases, but some stalls were still making final preparations and were not yet officially open.
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The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: rednote
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: rednote
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: threads
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: threads
Mr. Wong, a flower stall owner at the Victoria Park Chinese New Year Fair for over 20 years, was optimistic about expected sales this year, estimating they would be higher than last year. He mentioned that the overall cost price of fresh flowers is higher this year, with increases in the cost of flowers from overseas, such as the ones from Japan and the Netherlands, which have the largest increase, resulting in slightly higher selling prices.
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: rednote
Ms. Hung, the owner of a stall selling dried seafood and soup ingredients, expressed concern about the sales of her stall due to the increasing number of people choosing to consume in the Mainland in recent years, coupled with the competition from online shopping. However, she also mentioned that some customers had expressed dissatisfaction with their online purchase experiences and ultimately opted to shop at physical stores, leading her to believe that the Chinese New Year Fair would still have certain competitiveness.
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: threads
Some secondary school students also participated in running the stall, selling ornaments and toys. They said they could apply the knowledge they had learned in class, such as pricing strategies. Moreover, they also mentioned that it was their fourth year participating, and their role had changed from being students to becoming "little bosses" who strengthened their leadership and teamwork skills by leading younger students.
The Chinese New Year Fair, Photo source: threads
Some elderly residents said they usually preferred to visit the Chinese New Year Fair in Sha Tin, but this year they chose to visit the one in Victoria Park, describing it as larger, with more products and fresher flowers. A regular attendee of the Chinese New Year Fair noted that the weather was good this year, and he planned to buy some flowers to enhance the festive atmosphere at home.
Since both the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day are getting closer, the festive atmosphere prevails in the city. The Mong Kok Flower Market has turned into a sea of flowers. Many residents have begun to buy New Year flowers and decorate their homes. Moreover, some also came to pick a bouquet to give to their loved ones. Even on weekdays, the flower market remained bustling with people.
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
On the site, residents tended to purchase orchids, winter jasmine, etc., implying auspicious fortune. Some residents even spent over HKD $1,000 in buying flowers, hoping to achieve good luck at the start of the year by putting beautiful flowers at home. Some florists have launched new varieties of orchids, saying that this year's stock is more plentiful, and the buyers have increased since two weeks ago.
Mrs. Chan, Photo by Bastille Post
Mrs. Chan said it's not too early to buy flowers for the time being, "I would buy New Year flowers almost at this period every year, since the flower market would be crowded after a few days." She spent HKD $1,090 to buy pussy willow, winter jasmine, etc., believing that the price of flowers depends on what variety they are and what country they come from. "I won't care about price when buying flowers. The most important thing is that they can let my home become more beautiful."
Mrs. Chiong and her son, Photo by Bastille Post
Mrs. Chiong and her son came to buy New Year flowers together. They spent over a thousand HKD merely on buying orchids. "If we come to the flower market earlier to choose, the goods will be more beautiful." Ms. Chiong said she would also buy some other flowers. "I expect to buy a money tree and lucky bamboo." In her eyes, the price of the flowers is similar to the previous one, with no obvious increase.
Another Mrs. Chan, Photo by Bastille Post
Another Mrs. Chan bought flowers worth more than a thousand HKD. "It doesn't matter how much you spend. If the flowers can match my decoration requirements, I would buy without hesitation. To avoid too many people on the site, I decided to visit the flower market earlier." She thought the atmosphere of the flower market was great this year, with cheaper flower prices. "It's cheaper than in previous years, about 20% cheaper."
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Some florists have launched wide new varieties of orchids. Anna, a person in charge of a flower stall, said that she couldn't predict the sales for the time being, though she has stocked up with plenty of flowers this year. "The entire flower market is filled with flowers on every corner. I couldn't count how many there were in total." Anna also said that the orchid sales for this year are okay. About two weeks ago, multiple buyers came to her stall to buy orchids since they could be kept at home for a long time. "Most of the residents would buy orchids at the end of the year to create a festive atmosphere at home. Their prices haven't changed much. As for the ones with the price around HKD $200-400, they have become hot among buyers. Asked whether the consumption boom of Hong Kong residents in Shenzhen would have an impact on her stall, Anna said the impact was not significant. "Because the flowers are heavy and difficult to move up and down, and there are also controls on the border crossing of orchids, there is no impact."
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Since Valentine's Day falls on Saturday this year, with the approach of the Chinese New Year, there were not many stalls primarily selling Valentine's Day bouquets. Cherry, a flower stall owner, pointed out that the sales of Valentine's Day flowers in the stall were cut in half at least. "Since that day falls on Saturday, many companies are on holiday, the orders from offices are two-thirds less, but the delivery service to home or to the celebration locations on the evening of February 13 is still in demand."
Cherry, Photo by Bastille Post
Cherry also said that she would stock up on orchids a month before the Chinese New Year, and flowers from all over the world ten days before the New Year, such as the winter jasmine and coral berry from the Taiwan region, cherry blossoms from Japan, etc. Among her flowers, the Japanese cherry blossoms have been bought by many people in recent years because they look more special and attractive. She added that since the road would be closed from the 7th to the 17th of this month, she needed to accept the fact that some decrease in sales would happen. "The traffic would be controlled outside the flower market, which meant I couldn't stock up on plenty of flowers in the following days. Besides, the number of my stall‘s staff is limited, but we will try our best to sell the flowers out."
Mr. Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Wong took advantage of his free time to buy flowers for his girlfriend. The bouquet he bought was HKD $580. "The price is not cheap, but it is acceptable." He noticed that there were fewer flowers for Valentine's Day this year. "Maybe since the festival is close to the Chinese New Year." he said.
Ms. Lee, Photo by Bastille Post
As for Ms. Lee, she bought peonies this year since she didn't like dark-colored flowers. She favored peonies because they are light-colored and can be kept at home for a period of time. She didn't especially buy the Valentine's Day flowers. "In my eyes, every day can be Valentine's Day." She thought the Valentine's Day flowers weren't few at the flower market this year. "But the flower types that can be chosen are limited since Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year are close to each other." She pointed out, "Maybe some lovers can try to buy some daffodils as the Valentine's Day flower to take an innovative attempt."
Photo by Bastille Post
Some florists said that since Valentine's Day is the 27th of the 12th lunar month, many citizens are expected to buy peonies, butterfly orchids, and other New Year flowers symbolizing love to their lovers to celebrate Valentine's Day and the Chinese New Year together.
