New business models make cherry blossom season more lucrative in Beijing

Businesses in China's Beijing have been exploring new ways to make the short cherry blossom viewing period more profitable.

Although springtime flower-viewing events draw large crowds every year, visitor numbers and revenue are concentrated heavily in the short peak bloom period.

Yuyuantan Park, one of the most popular flower-viewing destinations in the city, has made efforts to improve the situation.

The most direct way is to extend the blooming period. With over 50 varieties of flowers blooming at different times, the blooming season now lasts from mid-March to late April.

Additionally, the park is moving beyond the traditional "park plus flower-viewing" model by transforming a single season of blossoms into a lasting IP, turning a one-season surge into year-round business.

With 45 cherry blossom–themed cultural and creative products in five categories, it's almost impossible to leave empty-handed.

"There's quite a wide range of cultural and creative products here - stationery, keychains, fridge magnets. I was just looking for a sun umbrella as well, thinking of buying one," said one visitor.

"I bought a DIY cultural fridge magnet featuring a bird. You can assemble it yourself, and it turns into these little bird shapes. I'm planning to give it to a friend who enjoys crafts. I also picked up a keychain - the design is really nice," said another.

It also partnered with nearby malls to further boost the consumption.

Every weekend during the blossom season, 14 free shuttle buses run back and forth between the park and CapitaMall Crystal, seamlessly linking a day in the park with dining and retail.

"Yuyuantan Park is a popular destination for cherry blossom viewing, attracting huge numbers of visitors. After enjoying the blossoms, people often look for places to eat or shop, and we want to make that as convenient as possible. In practice, this shuttle service has delivered a very high conversion rate, with 99 percent of the passengers going on to spend at the mall," said Zhang Xuejiao, manager of the mall.

The mall also plans to team up with the park to launch cherry blossom-themed IP meet-and-greet events, study tours, and more immersive experiences to extend the value chain of the "blossom economy" beyond the peak season.

New business models make cherry blossom season more lucrative in Beijing

China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.

In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.

"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.

This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.

By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.

China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.

The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.

"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.

China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting