Dutch tulips arrive in China via Air Silk Road

BEIJING - Dutch farmer Erik van Dam was a bit tied up directing the plowing and sowing machines in a greenhouse of his Triflor tulip farm in the Netherlands. Other people were busy harvesting the full-blown specimens before dawn.

The farm owner didn't want to miss the planting season for tulip bulbs. The small bulbs will be separated and preserved for planting next year, while the bigger ones will be allowed to grow into flowers. Van Dam has to be well prepared with a large supply for the Chinese market.

Triflor's fresh-cut tulips have been exported to China through the so-called Air Silk Road, linking Luxembourg with Zhengzhou, capital of the inland province of Henan in central China.