Small Chinese city blooms with success in flower business

SHENYANG, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Amidst the prevailing biting cold in most parts of northeast China, Lingyuan, a small city in Liaoning Province with a population of 200,000, is adorned with a touch of spring vitality.

At the crack of dawn, Zhang Yulu quickly finished a nourishing breakfast and headed towards the flower trading market to sell the lilies he had carefully cultivated.

"Many people are unaware that even in the icy and snow-covered landscape of northeast China, lilies can thrive. I can confidently say that the quality of our lilies is outstanding," said Zhang, a 45-year-old farmer.

Despite the chilling cold outside, Zhang's flower greenhouse revealed a warm and humid environment, with more than 9,000 lily buds awaiting to bloom.

"The recent market trends for flowers have been increasingly positive. On weekends or holidays, a bouquet of 10 lilies can fetch up to 100-plus yuan (13.9 U.S. dollars)," Zhang said.

When it comes to fresh flowers, the picturesque Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in southwest China often comes to mind, with its melodious birdsong and fragrant blossoms. Surprisingly, a transformation has occurred in Lingyuan in northeast China, where extensive flower greenhouses have been set up, ensuring a year-round supply of fresh flowers.

The total area of flower cultivation in Lingyuan City has reached 25,000 mu (about 1,667 hectares), with an annual production of 270 million fresh-cut flowers. The local floral industry boasts an annual output value exceeding 1 billion yuan.

At the Lingyuan Flower Trading Market, over 1 million stems of various flowers such as lilies and tulips are shipped to major cities across the country every day.

Flower cultivation has become a cash cow for locals. Currently, there are more than 50 flower cooperatives in Lingyuan, involving approximately 10,000 households engaged in lily production.

Liu Jia, owner of a flower shop in Lingyuan, has been bustling with activity since the beginning of the New Year holiday.

"I saw soaring orders since Jan. 1, showing a 50-percent increase compared to the same period last year," she said. "My customers are mainly residents from nearby communities, most of whom are young people and women."

China is now the world's largest flower producer as well as an important participant in the foreign trade of flowers and a major flower consumer. The country aims to realize the modernization of its flower industry by 2035, with annual flower sales surpassing 700 billion yuan.

Zhang Yan, a researcher at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the recent boom in the cultural and tourism market in northeast China could potentially expand the consumption scenarios for the floral economy there.

"The integration of flowers and tourism has great potential. In the future, Lingyuan could develop a tourism complex project centered around flowers, integrating the research and development of flower bulbs, trading, production, and deep processing of flowers," Zhang Yan added.