Photo/Guangzhou Daily
Flower markets have long been a staple tradition before the Lunar New Year in Guangzhou, the City of Flowers, as citizens prefer to buy and pick up auspicious blossoms and plants for good luck in the Spring Festival.
The COVID-19 outbreak, however, has brought changes. For pandemic prevention and control, Guangzhou will not organize flower fairs in the traditional way, but will instead allocate off-line flower booths and launch online platforms for flower sales and purchases this year.
Photo/Guangzhou Daily
A total of 153 smaller markets have been established for flower vendors in the city's 10 districts for the coming holiday, with more to be added, according to an official with the Guangzhou Administration for Market Regulation.
These flower markets include 41 in Nansha, 34 in Tianhe, 24 in Panyu, 20 in Haizhu, 16 in Baiyun, nine in Liwan, three each in Yuexiu and Conghua, two in Huadu and one in Zengcheng. People can take in the beauty of over 100 species of dazzling, aromatic blossoms and plants, such as orchid, peach blossom, gladiolus, lily and, the most beloved of all, kumquat, which is a symbol of financial prosperity.
The complete list of flower markets will be added at the end of this article.
Amap (高德地图), a mapping service provider in China, will launch the country's first electronic "flower fair map" to guide consumers to festive flower sellers on foot or by car. With a logo of kapok flowers, Guangzhou's floral emblem, the service can be accessed on the app by searching "广州花市" (Flower Fairs in Guangzhou).
To further facilitate the celebration of a flowery new year, district authorities will help connect flower farmers and vendors to various e-commerce platforms to build online sales channels. Citizens can enjoy a "door-to-door" express delivery service when purchasing flowers through online platforms.
Such service providers include China Post in Guangzhou (广州邮政); Eleme (饿了么), an online delivery platform, and Hema (Fresh Hippo), a grocery chain, both backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba.
A guide to the online flower fair at "广州邮政" WeChat account.
Check the link for the latest list of flower markets in the city:
Locations of 153 flower markets in Guangzhou.xls
Author & editor: Becky