The realistic-looking rubber flowers. [Photos: Zhang Hui]
By Zhang Hui
Qin Lingjun, a stall owner selling potted orchids in Huaxiang Flower Market, is ready for the high season. "Days near National Day and Spring Festival are the best periods for the flower market. Many people buy orchids as gifts or to decorate their own homes," Qin explained.
Wang Chengshuang, who sells cut flowers in Huaxiang added, "Since more people buy cut flowers for Spring Festival, usually the prices will increase by 20 percent, beginning about 20 days before the festival."
Most of Qin's orchids are transported from a garden in Zhejiang Province, and the increased transportation prices near festival days are reflected in price hikes for the plants. The same price rise goes for cut flowers, although they can be obtained from local greenhouses.
It was only in the past 10 years that most flower markets in Beijing sprang into being. Flowers must be cultivated in greenhouses in the winter, so fresh flowers were once quite the luxury. Now that Beijingers have more money to spend on home decoration, blooms are available every season.
This year, Beijingers' flower consumption is expected to rise to 10 billion yuan from 7 billion last year, according to Shan Hongchen, deputy head of the Flower Industry Division from the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau. Another 100 branded chain stores selling flowers are slated to open in densely populated areas of Beijing in 2010.
Many people, like Zhou Quan, in his thirties, will "choose a potted flower to give my small apartment a fresh look," during the new year. But for all the hubbub, giving flowers as gifts at Spring Festival is not a traditional custom; buds are a favorite that rose through the ranks when people started having more choices for festival gifts.
Last year, on the second day of Chinese New Year, Wang Xiaoli, manager of a state-owned company, received an unexpected and quite large bouquet of flowers. "It was my first time to receive flowers for Spring Festival," he noted. "It's a very refreshing feeling to see bright and tender flowers in the winter season," Wang added, saying that he and his wife also enjoyed how the flowers really brightened up their apartment.
Part of the rise in popularity may be the fact that people tire of giving and receiving traditional presents like expensive alcohol and cigarettes year upon year. "Every year, alcohol and cigarettes have become my mother's burden to dispose of, for my father seldom drinks or smokes," remarked Shanshan, Wang's daughter.
Lifestyle checked out Huaxiang Flower Market, Fengtai district, one of the most frequently visited of its type in Beijing, to see what the best pickings are for this year's Spring Festival.
Potted flowers to refresh your apartment
The potted plant section of Huaxiang is a sea of orchids in green, yellow, pink and purple, some upright, some pendulous, all dazzling. About 10 stalls deal primarily with orchids, which represent noble virtue according to tradition and come in more varieties than ever before. "In the past two years, as far as potted flowers are concerned, more and more people are fond of orchids, and the orchid varieties have been diversified," Ai Chunyan, a flower stall owner told the Global Times. The cymbidium orchid is the most popular; a large pot sells for 300 to 400 yuan.
Bromeliads are also popular gifts, with their long, wide leaves, dark-red, pineapple-shaped fruits and names like hongyundangtou (lucky strike), mantanghong (total success) and ziqidonglai (a propitious omen). "I prefer hongyundangtou, for it looks magnificent and its name implies good luck in one's career," said Li Mingli, who plans to buy one for his boss as a New Year gift. Depending on size and variety, bromeliads are priced at 300 to 650 yuan.
Cut flowers, the perpetual classic
One can never go wrong with a fine bouquet. Popular yellow lilies are only 10 yuan per stem, with several blooms each. Ten yuan can also pay for three stems of gladiolus, and only two yuan gets a red rose. Most cut flowers are sold below 10 yuan in Huaxiang Flower Market.
"The dyed rong rose with a thin layer of fur on it and ziyuganlan (a purple flower resembling both rose and cabbage) are new varieties this year," Duan Hua, a stall owner told the Global Times.
Most bouquets with a variety of arranged cut flowers are priced at 100 to 200 yuan, much cheaper than small shops and online distributors. These bouquets usually include nematanthus gregarious (goldfish plant, with small yellow flowers nestled at the joints of the stem), lilies, carnations and roses. "Goldfish plant signifies constant improvement, so it is very popular among those sending flowers as gifts," Duan said.
Artificial flowers rival the real deal
Why buy flowers that will die? Those who want something longer lasting can pick up an assortment of fake flora. A new variety of realistic-looking rubber flowers costs 25 to 35 yuan per stem, according to stall owner Chang Limei. Cloth-made counterparts go for 10 to 20 yuan. "Apart from their vividness, another merit of the rubber ones is that they're solid and durable. You can use water to wash them," Chang explained.
However, to get a bushel of quality, alluring artificial flowers, the price is quite considerable. A dozen white callas in a big round green crystal vase were marked at 650 yuan. A massive magnolia plant the size of a man carried a sticker price of 700 yuan. The salesgirls were able to rest easier than their fresh-flower counterparts, as their wares are unrestricted by wilting or blooming periods. For vendors, these immortal flowers are the true winners.
Listings: flower markets
Huaxiang Flower Market 花乡花卉市场
Address: 50 Southwest Third Ring Road, Fengtai District
Tel: 6356-4640; 8367-9939
Laitai Flower Market 莱太花卉市场
Address: West Maizidian Street 9, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6463-6145
Century O'Bridge Garden Center 世纪奥桥园艺中心
Address: Kangxin Road A-1, Caoqiao, Fengtai District
Tel: 8750-3808
Website: www.obridgegarden.com
