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Flower Power Continues Blossoming
She places the blossoming white lily in the centre, the budding pink roses here and there and finally adds a few green leaves - Zheng Ting, a stock analyst, is fond of flower arranging which is currently in fashion in this South China metropolis.
"I can relax and throw all my unhappiness away when I decorate my room with these multicoloured and fragrant flowers," said Zheng who has attended a short course on flower arranging.
"But it is not easy," she added.
Zheng said many of her classmates were women who earn a lot of money but want to improve their artistic appreciation.
More and more residents are buying flowers.
According to a recent report in Shenzhen Economic Daily, residents' flower consumption has witnessed 80 per cent growth annually in recent years.
In 1999, the city's flower sector generated 100 million yuan (US$12 million) and exported US$3.8 million worth of goods.
More than 250 flower shops are scattered around the city, the newspaper said.
"With better living conditions and an increasing concern for beauty, people are willing to spend more time and money on floral art activities," said Jiang Zehui, president of the China Flower Association.
China has a long and rich history of flower arranging which dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), she said.
It partly explains why the First China International Floral Art Exposition is being held, said Jiang.
Organized by the China Flower Association, the China Association of Floral Art and the Shenzhen municipal government, the five-day exposition, which ends tomorrow, has attracted 210 exhibitors from both home and abroad.
It covers 11,680 square metres and has 492 booths and 12 sections.
These include the hotel flower section and dehydrated flowers. There are also seminars and demonstrations of flower arranging.
Jiang said an international floral school aimed at educating flower arrangers will open in Shanghai next year.
"Flowers are a universal language in that people from around the world can communicate freely and easily to reach common ground," said Guo Meihui, a member of the Taiwan Floral Art Association.
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