Mother's Day surge drives flower industry boom in south China

The flower industries in south China's Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are ushering in a peak sales season of the year thanks to a Mother's Day surge.

Retail and wholesale florists in both Guangdong and Guangxi saw significant increases in sales on Sunday -- the Mother's Day, which is seen as the start of a peak season for the flower business.

In the tech hub of Shenzhen in Guangdong, carnations, roses and Chinese peonies are the most popular among customers this year, and many local florists saw a boost to their transactions from the large shopping crowds.

"Sales here have been three to five times of that on an ordinary day. We have done all the work to make bouquets in advance. We expect 150 to 300 orders [today]," said Chen Qi, manager of a flower shop in the city's Nanshan District.

Zhou Yingqin, a wholesaler, said pink flowers are in hot demand particularly so far this year and the prices of many varieties have surged as a result.

"Flower prices will basically stay where they are throughout May because of the back-to-back holidays -- the Mother's Day and the May 20 Day (a romantic day seen by couples in China). I expect the demand to exceed supply," said Zhou, who is also in Nanshan District.

As May 12 also marks the International Nurses Day, various flower wholesale markets in Nanning, the regional capital of Guangxi, were bustling with activity as demand for fresh-cut flowers soared. And as in Guangdong, the prices of carnations and Chinese peonies in the city have also surged.

"Because of the coincidence of the Mother's Day and the International Nurses Day, sales are bound to surge, tripling or even quadrupling. We expect to sell hundreds of, even 1,000 bouquets [today]," said a local flower shop manager surnamed Tang.

Another said her shop offers a wider selection of flower arrangements this year, given the increasing demand.

"There has been a 10-percent increase in orders so far this year compared with previous years. Purple and pink flowers are very popular this year," she said.

Horgos Port, a major border junction linking China to Central Asia, handled over 38 million tons of goods in the first ten months of this year, marking a 10 percent year-on-year increase, according to the latest customs data.

Located on the border of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the port has played a pivotal role in the growing development of trade routes between China and Europe.

Data showed that from January to October this year, the main imported goods through the Horgos Port included electromechanical products, agricultural products, food items, and metal ores and sands. Exports mainly included new energy vehicles, electromechanical products, high-tech goods, textiles, and related products.