Online businesses offer reasonable prices, consistent quality
Every Monday morning at 9:30, a fresh bouquet arrives in Wu Minhui's office in Zhujiang New Town, the central business district of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.
In the first week of last month, the bouquet contained three red roses, five pink carnations and a eucalyptus leaf, all wrapped in strong brown paper.
But the bouquet was no romantic surprise from a boyfriend, it was "self-love", Wu said.
The 27-year-old thinks women should spend money to please themselves instead of other people.
"I buy flowers for myself because it not only makes me feel cherished, but I can also become more patient by taking care of them," she said.
Wu, who subscribes to a weekly delivery service provided by Flowerplus, an e-commerce startup, said buying blooms has also become a habit for many of her colleagues in the fund company she works for, especially young women.
Online florists such as Flowerplus and Reflower have introduced subscription services in recent years, which have made blooms more affordable and buying them a habit.
With just a few taps on their smartphones, and payment made through WeChat or Alipay, Wu and her colleagues can have fresh, custom-ordered bouquets delivered to their office every week.
"The best part is that the price is reasonable and the quality is consistent. I get my Flowerplus packages for as low as 20 yuan ($2.90) a week for a basic bouquet," Wu said.
"When I first ordered flowers online, I didn't expect it to turn into a habit."
In Wu's office, the working day often starts with her putting the flowers in a vase, placing it on a table and then making a cup of coffee.
China's booming e-commerce and online-to-offline services have accelerated flower buying significantly, with many people regularly making purchases.
But this is a relatively new trend compared with the country's centuries-long tradition of floral culture.
More than 1,000 years ago, people in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) went on outings to admire flowers. They would cut down some tree branches in full blossom and take them home to use as decorations.
Now, once again, Chinese are showing their floral appreciation.
Internet consulting company iResearch estimates the country's cut-flower e-commerce market expanded from 1.2 billion yuan in 2013 to 12.4 billion yuan in 2017 and is likely to reach nearly 50 billion yuan by 2021.
A large part of this growth is due to the middle class, who are increasingly viewing cut flowers as part of daily life, rather than luxuries for special occasions.
A report this year by Tmall, Alibaba's e-commerce platform, said consumers, especially women, are buying more items for themselves than they have in the past, especially young women.
Tmall's data show that women's consumption of flowers, books, tourism, wire-free bras, flat shoes and other so-called treat-yourself products is continuing to grow significantly.
Mao Haipeng, from the Yunnan Dounan Flower Industry Group, said, "This is part of a natural shift as China's economy has developed and families have started to have more disposable income for items that may have been seen as wasteful in the past."
While some households still grow blooms at home, more are switching to buying cut flowers for their freshness and variety, Mao said.
"Flowers are becoming a necessity for Chinese families," he added.
Mao's group runs the international flower trading market in Dounan county, Yunnan province. In just three decades, the town has expanded from a rural backwater to become Asia's biggest flower market, supplying more than 75 percent of China's cut blooms and exporting flowers throughout the region.
"Demand has been so great that there are now about 300,000 farmers cultivating 1.5 million hectares of flowers in the province, up from just a few dozen growers and less than 10,000 hectares back in the 1990s," Mao said.
This floral boom is also driving tourism growth.
Earlier this year, online travel service provider Ctrip released its Global Flower Tourism Trend Report for 2018, which assessed the hottest floral tourist attractions worldwide and Chinese tourists' preferences.
According to the report, the number of searches using keywords such as "cherry blossom", "peach blossom" and "rapeseed flowers" rose by 500 percent, while both inbound and outbound flower-themed tourism services booked on the platform grew by more than 30 percent for three consecutive years.
In March, Zhang Yilian and her husband, who are both retired, visited Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, to see yellow rapeseed flowers. When she returned home, Zhang found the pictures she posted on her WeChat friends circle had become a hit.
"I got 62 'thumbs ups', and I think this is because my friends are all attracted by the beauty of nature," she said.
In 2017, Zhang and her husband joined a WeChat group called the "Retired flower admirers club". The couple and the 200 other "group mates" are interested in the same blooms.
"Some people in the group grow flowers at home, and some are photographers who look to flowers for inspiration. Lao Yang (Zhang's husband) and I enjoy traveling, so we decided to visit places with beautiful blossoms after we retired."
Amelia Qiu, a macroeconomics researcher in London, said wealthy Chinese consumers now have greater demands regarding their quality of life. As a result, consumption of "experiences" and "spiritual products" is increasing rapidly.
"But it's never about flowers. They are not the aim. It's a symbol of wealth, aesthetic taste and social status. In addition, showing flowers on social media has become more appealing to gain the recognition and appreciation of others, rather than showing luxury handbags or watches, which are also highly valued by Chinese," Qiu said.
In 2017, Wang Wanying, a graduate student from Zhejiang Normal University, visited the Netherlands in spring to see the tulips.
Photos of the flowers she saw on her trip to Keukenhof Park, which she posted on her travel blog, have been viewed thousands of times.
"My next stop is Bulgaria, or Provence in France, to see roses and lavender," Wang said.
Gao Jianzhou, a floriculture researcher at Beijing Forestry University, said there has been an upsurge in Chinese travelers "seeking to deepen their experiences of the world's natural phenomena. Those who are interested in nature, flora and botanical tourism like to travel in certain seasons to extend the experiences gained from their trips."
In view of the strong demand, "floral destinations" are making various attempts to attract Chinese tourists.
Eddie Yang, Asia director of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions China, said Chinese tourism to the Netherlands has seen double-digit growth in recent years.
"Moreover, Dutch attractions are also catering to more Chinese tourists' needs," Yang said.
"They can buy tickets to most Dutch parks and gardens through Alipay on their mobile devices. Furthermore, the Van Gogh Museum and some other well-known attractions have all launched Chinese websites and provide audio guides in Mandarin. NBTC China has also created tailor-made tourist guides on arts, interaction and outdoor activities to cater to the needs of Chinese of different ages and different interests."
Domestic flower destinations are also doing their bit to attract flower-loving travelers.
Peach flowers in Linzhi city, Tibet autonomous region; apricot blossom in Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region; and cherry blossom in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, are among the hottest flower-themed destinations, according to Ctrip.
Gao, the floriculture researcher, said rural areas as well as cities with vast fields of blooms are being encouraged to develop flower-driven tourism.
The fact that cities, as well as the countryside, are becoming increasingly beautiful is the biggest driving force behind the booming domestic flower trade, Gao said.
"Some old houses have been redecorated and transformed into unique homestays, offering accommodations and various farm produce and authentic folk culture for tourists," he said.
"As China seeks green development, people will find beautiful scenery everywhere," Gao added.