The China-Europe freight train network operating in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong Province, set a new record for total freight volume in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Qingdao Customs, China Central Television (CCTV) reported Monday.
The freight train network in Qingdao operates through the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA).
In the first quarter, the total cargo volume of the China-Europe freight train exceeded 170,000 tons, and the number of train operations also set a new record of 253, both marking the highest levels for the same period on record.
Since the construction of the demonstration area began in 2018, it has transported about 470,000 20-foot equivalent units and 3.97 million tons of imported and exported goods via 5,729 China-Europe freight trains.
SCO demonstration area sets new Q1 record for China-Europe freight train cargo volume
Flowers with novel appearances drew strong interest from visitors at this year's Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing, which ran from April 10 to 12.
With more Chinese consumers seeking products that offer emotional value, expo visitors were noticing not only traditional, beautiful flowers, but also those newer, more distinctive varieties.
Among the many blooms on display, those featuring widely recognized icons stood out as especially eye catching.
"This is the Psychopsis papilio, also known as 'Monkey King'. You can see that its flower has three tendrils, which vividly resembles the pheasant feathers worn by Monkey King," said Zha Niyi, an exhibitor, introducing the flower commonly known as the butterfly orchid.
Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, is from a classic Chinese novel, Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng'en during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Monkey King has stood as one of the most iconic symbols of Chinese culture, embodying generations of Chinese people's imagination of a hero.
This growing consumer interest is also evident in the flowers' sales volumes. In 2025, China’s fresh-cut flower exports surged by over 40 percent, surpassing 200 million U.S. dollars for the first time. Over the past five years, the country's total flower exports have exceeded two billion U.S. dollars.
"This demonstrates that China's flower industry has a solid export base and strong production capacity with the approach of high-quality development," said Zhang Li, deputy director of the Market Circulation Branch of the China Flower Association.
As Chinese consumers become more willing to pay for experiences that generate positive emotions, visitors at the exhibition were increasingly drawn to flowers with cute names and auspicious meanings.
Consumers' growing desire for emotional fulfillment is also driving the wider development in the flower-consumption market. "A single flower can give rise to an entire industry and a whole sector," said Wang Caiyun, president of the Osmanthus Branch of the China Flower Association.
China has grown into the world's largest flower producer, a major consumer, and a leading trading country. Its flower economy now delivers annual output worth more than 520 billion yuan (about 76.16 billion U.S. dollars), driving employment and income growth for more than 220,000 business entities.
Novel flowers catch eyes at Hortiflorexpo IPM Beijing
