CHONGQING: With the advent of the Chinese Lunar New Year, a bevy of people swarmed into the Wanghai Flower Market in Jiangbei district, Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, for new year flowers, which are considered an auspicious omen. When the foot traffic hits the peak, cars queue for more than 10 minutes to enter the market.
As the largest flower market in the main urban area of Chongqing, the market holds a number of shops or stalls of flowers, bonsai, and small pets. The street is dotted with a diversity of colorful flowers, making the market a center garden of the city.
“After the optimization of COVID-19 response, the market has been witnessing a large influx of consumers keen to buy flowers, and the Spring festival fuels the trend,” one of the shop owners said, adding that they have replenished the stock to meet the overwhelming demands.
Chinese are used to calling flowers that are sold around the Spring Festival the New Year flowers, which often have auspicious colors, such as purple and red, and feature gorgeous appearances.
Citizen Jia Simin is visiting the market hand in hand with her mother, both holding a pot of purple phalaenopsis. Symbolizing good luck and fortune, phalaenopsis, or butterfly orchid, owing to its butterfly-like appearance, is one of the most popular flowers among the public.
“We bought these flowers to decorate our rooms to make them look more festive and usher in a good mood in the new year,” Jia said.
The fluorescence of the butterfly orchids may last two or three months, making the jubilant atmosphere lingering in the room even after the New Year, Jia added.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
