Flower power blossoms for Mother's Day
Source: Xinhua |
May 13, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHEN Jingya, an accountant in Beijing, is perusing a list of gifts for Mother's Day, a Western holiday gaining popularity among young Chinese people.
Chen bought her mother cosmetics in 2011, a jade bracelet in 2012, and this year, apart from a handbag, she also ordered a bouquet of carnations priced at about 200 yuan (US$32.26).
"I usually select pragmatic gifts for my mom, but I think flowers can better express my love," Chen said.
Originating in the US in the early 20th century, Mother's Day has evolved into a major flower-giving festival in China following Valentine's Day. Flower retailers have been rushing to offer customized bouquets with sales reportedly surging.
Aishang, a flower shop on the popular e-commerce website Tmall, said it has sold nearly 3,000 carnation and lily bouquets, with prices ranging from just over 100 yuan to several hundreds of yuan.
The flower-buying fervor has highlighted a bigger social and cultural change: An increasing number of Chinese have come to appreciate flowers as an everyday present and ornament, and are more willing to fork out cash on them.
China's cultivated area for flowers increased to 1.02 million hectares and the industry's output reached 106.8 billion yuan at the end of 2011, making China a major production base and market for flowers.
Yet despite the ballooning domestic market over the years, "the government is so far still the biggest client," said Doeke Faber, former president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).
Faber observed the country's quick urbanization and ambition to build "green cities" have contributed to the huge consumption, as cities buy large quantities of flowers to plant in the increasing number of parks and greenery areas.
The shift, however, may come in the next decade, as individual consumers will eventually make up the bulk of consumption thanks to rapidly increasing incomes, Faber said.
"China's horticultural industry is only at the beginning of a very fast growth period," Faber added.
The industrial heartland in the northeast now boasts a booming flower industry - Lingyuan City produces 400 million cut flowers and 300 million bulbs annually.
Chen, 27, said her parents never gave one another flowers but she has learned to enjoy it as an expression of love.
"My boyfriend sends me a bouquet every now and then," she said. "He's quite romantic."
Chen bought her mother cosmetics in 2011, a jade bracelet in 2012, and this year, apart from a handbag, she also ordered a bouquet of carnations priced at about 200 yuan (US$32.26).
"I usually select pragmatic gifts for my mom, but I think flowers can better express my love," Chen said.
Originating in the US in the early 20th century, Mother's Day has evolved into a major flower-giving festival in China following Valentine's Day. Flower retailers have been rushing to offer customized bouquets with sales reportedly surging.
Aishang, a flower shop on the popular e-commerce website Tmall, said it has sold nearly 3,000 carnation and lily bouquets, with prices ranging from just over 100 yuan to several hundreds of yuan.
The flower-buying fervor has highlighted a bigger social and cultural change: An increasing number of Chinese have come to appreciate flowers as an everyday present and ornament, and are more willing to fork out cash on them.
China's cultivated area for flowers increased to 1.02 million hectares and the industry's output reached 106.8 billion yuan at the end of 2011, making China a major production base and market for flowers.
Yet despite the ballooning domestic market over the years, "the government is so far still the biggest client," said Doeke Faber, former president of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH).
Faber observed the country's quick urbanization and ambition to build "green cities" have contributed to the huge consumption, as cities buy large quantities of flowers to plant in the increasing number of parks and greenery areas.
The shift, however, may come in the next decade, as individual consumers will eventually make up the bulk of consumption thanks to rapidly increasing incomes, Faber said.
"China's horticultural industry is only at the beginning of a very fast growth period," Faber added.
The industrial heartland in the northeast now boasts a booming flower industry - Lingyuan City produces 400 million cut flowers and 300 million bulbs annually.
Chen, 27, said her parents never gave one another flowers but she has learned to enjoy it as an expression of love.
"My boyfriend sends me a bouquet every now and then," she said. "He's quite romantic."
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