Yunnan's flower industry blooms with fresh verve

KUNMING — From digital trading to creative design, a new generation of entrepreneurs is reshaping the flower industry in Southwest China's Yunnan province, helping local blooms reach wider markets and bringing greater value to the communities that grow them.

For decades, Yunnan has been the powerhouse of the country's flower industry. Its capital, Kunming, known as China's "City of Flowers", is home to Dounan Flower Market, Asia's largest and the world's second-largest flower trading hub.

In Kunming, flowers are never far away. Even at Kunming Changshui International Airport, visitors who forget to bring flowers to greet friends need not worry. For about 20 yuan ($3), they can pick up a bouquet of sunflowers, roses, carnations and greenery.

In 2025, Yunnan produced 22.1 billion stems of cut flowers, accounting for more than 70 percent of China's total. The industry's output value exceeded 140 billion yuan, supporting 190,000 farming households and providing 480,000 jobs.

Since the first gladiolus corms were planted in Yunnan in the 1980s, the local flower industry has grown from a handful of experimental plots into Asia's largest fresh flower market. Today, a younger generation of growers is helping transform the business.

Yang Ping, born in 1985 into a Bai ethnic family, grew up among flower fields, learning to tend plants and sort blooms for sale. Her mother transported flowers to markets by bicycle, giving Yang an early appreciation of the hard work behind every bouquet.

Growing up, Yang also witnessed the industry's challenges: opaque pricing, limited access to market information and uncertain payments. Farmers often traveled to markets before dawn, while buyers faced high costs and inconsistent quality.

After graduating with a degree in computer science, Yang and her partners launched Huaeb, an online flower-trading platform that enables farmers to secure orders before harvesting.

"Farmers used to haul flowers to market in the early hours, hoping for a good price. Now, they can wake up to orders on their phones," Yang says.

At peak times, Huaeb records a transaction every five seconds. The platform has attracted around 12,000 farming households and cooperatives, helping participating households increase their annual income by an average of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

Huaeb also provides digital farming equipment to precisely regulate water and fertilizer use, light, temperature and humidity, helping maintain flower quality. Real-time market analysis and traceable cold-chain logistics support quality inspection and graded sales. Third-party payment guarantees offer protection to buyers and sellers alike.

Rose grower Gao Chuanfu has benefited from the platform. With regular guidance from Huaeb technicians, he learned to manage water and fertilizer more effectively, improve harvesting practices and sell his flowers online.

"Now my flowers are more consistent in quality, and my selling costs have fallen by nearly 30 percent," Gao says.

To connect remote communities with larger markets, Yang's team provides e-commerce training in villages across Yunnan and operates 41 flower collection points.

"We follow the development of the flower industry in these areas, helping flowers from remote communities reach buyers across China through digitalization. At the same time, purchasers can connect with suppliers at Dounan without having to travel there," Yang says.

For some young people born into flower-growing families, selling flowers is the beginning. They are finding ways to add value through design and promotion of new lifestyles.

Mo Shuna's parents were among Dounan's early flower growers in the 1980s. Her interest in floral design began in the early 1990s, when a visiting trader who rented a room in her family's home introduced her to the craft.

Over more than two decades, Mo has become a nationally certified floral design technician and senior assessor, designing floral displays for the China-South Asia Expo over multiple years, while also gaining certification from the American Floral Art School.

"As the second generation of flower growers, we cannot stop at growing and selling flowers, and we need to give them artistry, value and stories," Mo says.

China's flower retail market reached 249 billion yuan in 2025, up about 13.18 percent year-on-year, according to the China Flower Association. Flowers are increasingly purchased not only for festivals and special occasions, but also as an everyday way to brighten people's moods.

Alongside her design work, Mo teaches floral arrangement in communities and workplaces across Kunming, to help more people bring the fragrant art into everyday life.

"Flower arranging is not just a skill. It can also be healing. People immerse themselves in the process, relax and enjoy creating something beautiful," she says.

XINHUA