Aisa’s leading flower market shows recovery momentum

Workers transfer trolleys of flowers at the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center in Dounan, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 31, 2023. Standing as China's largest fresh cut flower market in terms of both trade volume and export value, Dounan has become the largest fresh cut flower trading market in Asia. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Fresh-cut flowers at the Dounan flower market, central Yunnan’s Kunming city, are exported to over 40 countries and regions, such as Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam, either by air or cold-chain transport. Kunming is known as the world’s flower capital, while Dounan is Asia’s largest fresh cut flower trading market, serving as the barometer for flower prices.

Most Dounan flowers used to be transported by road, but with the growth of flower consumption, the flowers are now mostly transported by air or high-speed rail. Besides, the development of e-commerce has made flowers a daily consumer product.

“A quarter of flowers are sold online, ” said Zhang Kuaping, a flower dealer. “Some regular customers in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Guangzhou order flowers worth 100 to 200 yuan monthly. I will select flowers based on individual preference and delivery them to customs by air. ”

As China optimized its measures in COVID-19 control, flower consumption sees a gradual recovery. From Jan 1st to Feb 5th, the trading volume at Dounan market continued to rise. Prices for single roses became higher than that of the same period in 2019.

During the Spring Festival, the volume of fresh-cut flowers traded in Dounan was about 77.56 million, valued at over 100 million yuan. The average daily tourist volume exceeded 10,000. The auction sales at Dounan’s International Flora Trading Center reached 11.6 million.

Source: China Youth Daily; trans-editing by Guo Yao