'It's like torture being here'

Yan Xingjun has been selling flowers at Yuquanying Flower and Gifts Market in Beijing for 12 years. He specializes in moth orchids, pretty, light-colored flowers that are often displayed in public places such as airport and hotels. Until recently, business was good, so good in fact that his wife quit her job to help him run the 150-square-meter store.

"The flowers are mainly used at government conferences and company meetings. This is usually our busiest time of the year and we normally hire a couple of temporary workers. However, I haven't received orders from government departments or companies since November. It seems that my wife and I are redundant," said Yan.

"The whole family depends on the money we make from selling flowers, so I'm not eating or sleeping well at the moment. The rent for the shop is 120,000 yuan ($19, 800), but I don't know where the next rent money will come from, let alone think about earnings," he said.