Love in bloom

As the Qixi Festival, Chinese Valentine's Day, approaches, florists are preparing their bouquet designs and the love-struck are searching for that perfect gift to demonstrate their affection. Deng Zhangyu looks at some of the ways to show your care.

Roses are the symbol of romance in Western culture while in traditional Chinese literature, lotus and gourds are the token of love. In The Book of Songs, one of the literary classics of ancient China, there are many poems eulogizing the plants.

Florist Li Peiqi of Beijing-based brand Misheng has drawn inspiration from the ancient book for her latest works for the Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on Aug 2 this year.