The scene here is truly picturesque. Yunnan is known for producing fresh flowers throughout all four seasons, earning it the title of the "World Garden." Yunnan boasts an astonishing annual production of 16.7 billion stems. That number could be three flowers for every human on Earth, if not for Hong Kong’s insatiable appetite for beautiful fresh flowers. Two thirds of these flowers are shipped directly to Hong Kong. Welcome to the Kunming Flower Market. Today we haven’t come here to buy flowers, we’ve come to witness ‘Spring City’ in action, the largest flower auction & trading center in all of China.

Host / Burmie Wong

Zhu Qi / Kunming International Flower Auction & Trading Center Corporate Management Officer

Zhu Qi: At the front end, we have 33,000 suppliers from across Yunnan. It has a data display that records the daily supply status of each region. This data is crucial as it shows transactions on both ends, including how much is traded here every day and which cities nationwide received these goods. For example, the goods we traded today generally take three days to reach Shanghai, at most. Flowers are highly perishable agricultural products. Unlike fruits and vegetables, flower growers want to transact quickly and at fair and equitable prices. This facility has a 96% transaction rate which makes one-stop standardized distribution an attractive choice for flower growers. The connection between the auction center and the growers is not just about money. We try to build relationships with the farmers so that they trust us to source good sales channels while also being receptive to any quality issues with their flowers that need to be improved.

The Dounan Flower Auction Center in Kunming has become the largest flower auction and trading center in Asia and the second largest in the world. Initially, the most important aspect of getting flower growers to accept this new model was ensuring that good flowers were sold at good prices, thereby increasing the income of flower growers. Historically, the market for fresh flowers is surprisingly enormous.

Zhu Qi: In the past, the flower auction used a miniature train. Fresh flowers would be brought into view by the train for buyers to inspect, then the entire inventory would be simply driven away after the auction. However, back then, the trading volume was only one to two hundred thousand stems per day. Nowadays, the supply volume has greatly exceeded the capacity of such a quaint system. Why am I particularly fond of flowers? Flowers awaken a passion for life. They remind us every morning of new beginnings and possibilities. When you bring home a bouquet of flowers, it fills the room with happiness.

Yunnan’s flower industry is emblematic of China’s progress in smart agriculture and the coupling of technology and nature. The scene of the flower auction reminds us of Wall Street, with tens of thousands of people thriving in a multitude of different roles. Each segment requires split-second decisions, with the entire transaction process averaging just 4.5 seconds.

B: It's quite impressive here. Yunnan's flowers are known to travel far and wide. If this is the starting point of their journey, where do they go?

Zhu Qi: Most of the flowers originate here and are distributed to various places across the country and to over 40 countries in Asia. Our flower brokers below represent flower shops, flower markets, e-commerce platforms and online sellers, and even our own community marketing initiatives. The main role of our auctioneers is to establish fair pricing.

B: How many auctioneers are working here?

Zhu Qi: We have over 30 auctioneers. Typically we see 1,000 to 2,000 buyers daily."

The Flower Auction Center is spearheading the innovation and evolution of Yunnan's flower industry supply chain, helping it achieve international reach, standardization, and digitization. In addition to the vibrant wholesale and auction markets in Duonan, the retail market is also thriving with a variety of fresh flowers, potted plants, and bonsai trees. One can spend an entire day exploring and still not see everything. Duonan Flower Market has been selected as a national-level nighttime cultural and tourism consumption area. It’s even more beautiful at night!"

B: Flowers are plentiful in Yunnan, but it's at the Duonan Flower Market where one truly experiences them in overwhelming abundance. No wonder it attracts people from all over China and around the globe. I’ve picked my favourite, what’s yours?

Guo Yan / Kunming Flower Market Shop Owner 

B: Where do your flowers come from?  

Guo Yan: They are grown right here on our base. For example, it takes one year and seven months for this butterfly orchid to reach this size. Butterfly orchids have particularly meaningful floriography — they symbolize happiness. They're also popular due to their longer blooming period. As people's living standards improve, they tend to enjoy buying and sending flowers more. The most enjoyable part of running a flower shop for me is arranging the flowers in the pots, and seeing satisfied and happy customers.

B: I’m noticing that the market is very busy. Is it always like this?

Guo Yan: We see less people today. But during public holidays or before the Chinese New Year, you would see three or four times this many people.  

Chen Sijing / Kunming Flower Market Shop Owner  

Chen Sijing: My mother has been selling flowers here since I was young, and it continues today.  By earning their living independently like this, they can take breaks when they want to. It's more flexible for living their best lives.

B: What time do you start your day here?  

Chen Sijing: We start at 7:30 in the morning and finish at 17:30 for the day session, the evening session starts from 17:30 till around 01:00.

B: You mean the market is still busy even after midnight?

Chen Sijing: Correct, because some of the flowers we sell during the day need to be bought at night. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have enough flowers to sell during the day.

Out of every 10 fresh flowers sold nationwide, 7 are from Yunnan. Seeing it today really opened my eyes to the incredible undertaking that ensures that the scents and colors of fresh flowers are always available in far away cities. Besides the astonishing variety of flowers, there are also two tourist streets nearby with lots of delicacies and souvenirs on offer. The entire Duonan Flower Market is both rigorous and romantic, with casual pedestrians and stoic business people alike. In 2023, the total flower transaction volume exceeded 12 billion stems, bringing freshness and joy to the lives of millions.