CCTV.com News: Although there is still more than a month until the Spring Festival, the bustling flower markets have already entered their peak season, with many people buying a few pots of fresh flowers to decorate their homes as a "ritual" to welcome the New Year. In Shanghai, many new varieties of flowers have appeared in the flower markets this year, and they are popular with many consumers.
At a flower market in Qingpu District, Shanghai, covering an area of over 680 acres, more than 200 flower shops and vendors are gathered. With more than a month to go before the Spring Festival, potted flowering plants with longer blooming periods and easier maintenance are experiencing their sales peak first. This year, many new imported varieties of potted flowers have been launched and are popular with consumers.
Among various New Year's flower sales, Phalaenopsis orchids have always been the "top seller" in the market. With the increase in new Phalaenopsis orchid varieties this year, the total market sales volume has increased by 20% year-on-year. At a flower shop specializing in Phalaenopsis orchids, a reporter saw Phalaenopsis orchids of various colors, such as red, yellow, purple, and green, lined up in a row, vying for attention.
Cao Li, owner of a flower shop in Hongqiao Flower Valley, Qingpu District, Shanghai: This year, our Latin Dance Skirt, Golden Peach, and Fangmei Legend flowers have been quite popular. The Latin Dance Skirt is black with a slightly pink hem, making it quite unique. Fangmei Legend and Golden Peach are retro pink. In the past two years, more young people have been buying New Year's flowers. Currently, we can sell one to two hundred pots a day.
Shanghai resident Guo Ziming: I would put it in the living room. I think it would be more cozy that way, and it would also be a highlight when friends come over. I like fresh and unique colors and varieties.
Nanchang, Jiangxi: Intangible Cultural Heritage Dragon Lanterns in Production - Traditional Craftsmanship Revitalized
With the Spring Festival approaching, a dragon lantern production base in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, has recently ushered in a peak season for production and sales, and intangible cultural heritage techniques are constantly being innovated.
At the dragon lantern production base, workers are busy making dragon heads, pasting on dragon bodies, and sewing dragon scales, working hard to meet orders. Staff explained that an average of more than 30 finished dragon lanterns are produced here every day, and shipped to all parts of the country and overseas.
Shi Kebin, representative inheritor of Chengnan Dragon Lantern Intangible Cultural Heritage: Our order volume is gradually expanding. This year, the demand for dragon lanterns has increased by 10% compared to previous years.
Chengnan Dragon Lantern is a representative project of Jiangxi Province's intangible cultural heritage. In order to keep intangible cultural heritage products in line with the times, Shi Kebin has innovated the color matching and structural design of the dragon lantern this year, incorporating elements of the Year of the Horse, and designed adorable little horse lanterns and DIY handheld dragon lanterns, allowing this ancient craft to enter everyone's daily life in a lightweight and fun way.
Shi Kebin, representative inheritor of Chengnan Dragon Lantern Intangible Cultural Heritage: We adjust the shape and gameplay of the dragon lantern according to market demand, hoping that these old crafts can be presented in a more diverse way so that more people can experience the charm of this traditional culture.
