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January 28, 2015

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Whole world of Spring Festival bargains

By Xu Wenwen | January 28, 2015, Wednesday | Print Edition

FLOWERS and fruit are traditionally used to brighten up homes to welcome the Chinese New Year and help put everyone in a holiday mood.

Usually in the run-up to the Spring Festival — this year Chinese New Year is on February 19 — the prices of flowers and fruit rise, so smart shoppers head to wholesale markets where they can choose from a huge selection of items and save a few dollars in the process.

Here are some large and easy-to-get-to fruit and flower markets in Hangzhou where you can stock up on Spring Festival goodies.

Gouzhuang Agricultural Products Center

At 2am, when the city is asleep, the 4-square-kilometer Gouzhuang Agricultural Produce Center — Hangzhou’s largest agricultural produce wholesaler — is lit as bright as day, filled with the hubbub of people and vehicles coming to buy and sell fruit and veg.

But fear not, you needn’t miss out on your beauty sleep to get a bargain here as the busy scene lasts for about 10 hours every day. However, you should try to arrive before 10am otherwise there might not be much left.

In the early hours, it’s wholesalers’ trucks dropping off goods and vendors from markets coming to pick up stock. Then later, buyers from restaurants and individual customers come to stock up.

Customers rarely have to worry about the freshness of fruit here — the fast turnover of stock ensures that — and even if you don’t want to buy fruit by the box, you can still get the wholesale price.

Opening hours: 12am-1pm

Address: East to Gongtang Village, Gouzhuang Town, Yuhang

How to get there: Drive toward Hangning expressway toll station and the market is at the west; or take bus No. K192/K67 to the Gouzhuang stop

Fengqi Flower and Fish Market

The only 24-hour flower market in the city is an ideal place for floral fans to take a wander, no matter what hour.

The 9,000-square-meter market is the largest fresh flower trade center in Zhejiang Province, where flower growers, suppliers and buyers gather every day from 2am, trading, dispatching and bargaining.

There are many individual customers too, drawn by the wide range of floral services. These include couples looking to get their wedding cars decorated. Little wonder then that there are often tens — sometimes hundreds — of limos lined up here.

Opening hours: 24 hours

Address: 25 Fengqi Rd E. (south gate) and 198 Kaixuan Rd (west gate)

How to get there: Take bus No. 44, 40, 35, 21, 87, 34, 199, 80, 101, 201, or 528 to Shuang Ling Lu Beikou stop (the north end of Shuangling Road)

Qianjiang Flower and Bird Market

Qianjiang Small Commodities Market is known for its low prices and huge variety of goods, with Qianjiang Flower and Bird Market part of it.

The market is not large but here you can find a huge selection of flowers, with prices about 20 percent cheaper than flower shops. It also has a range of plants and pets.

Opening hours: 8am-6pm

Address: 500 Shangtang Rd

How to get there: Take bus No. 3, 12, 26, 33, 34, 36, 58, 82, or 41 to Da Guan Xi Liu Yuan (the west No. 6 zone of Daguan Community)

Wushan Flower and Bird City

This old-fashioned market located at the east end of Hefang Street sells flowers on the first floor and plants and bonsai on the second.

The big advantage of the market is its position, close to bustling Hefang Street and at Wushan Square.

Bargaining is a must. One tip when buying flowers here is not to buy the wrapping that might cost 5 yuan for each piece. Instead ask for flowers to be wrapped in newspaper.

Opening hours: 5:30pm-11pm

Address: Wushan Square

How to get there: Take bus No. 25, 31, 34, 35, 40, 108, or 127 to Wushan Square stop, or take Metro Line 1 to Dingan Road station.

Dongxin Fruit Market

This large fruit market in downtown selling fruit about 30 percent cheaper than supermarkets offers an ideal place to stock up on New Year goodies.

The market covers about 4,000 square meters, and has two zones — domestic fruit and imported fruit. As it’s a wholesale market, get there by noon.

Opening hours: 3am-2pm

Address: 62 Chaohui Rd

How to get there: Take bus No. 19, 44, 33, 84, or 309 to Gen Shan Liu Shui Yuan stop and walk east for 100 meters.

Hangzhou


 

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