Popularity is high, consumption is booming, and the market is thriving, releasing new momentum for the "Year of the Economy" across the country.

CCTV.com News: The Hongxing Global Agricultural Wholesale Center, located in Yuhua District, Changsha, Hunan Province, is the largest comprehensive agricultural product cluster trading market in Hunan. Although there is still more than a month until the Spring Festival, the fruit trading area has already entered its peak season for wholesale stockpiling.

The reporter visited a fruit stall in Building 5 of the agricultural wholesale center. It was the busiest time of day for customers to inspect, select, and place orders. What was the market like? A box of 10 Guangxi kumquats cost 120 yuan, or 12 yuan per bag; at retail outlets, this same bag would sell for over 15 yuan. Apples from Shandong cost 75 yuan for 15 jin (7.5 catties); pineapples from Hainan cost 55 yuan for 5 jin (2.5 catties). The hottest-selling fruit recently is cherries. A 3J size, 5 jin (2.5 catties) bag sells for around 160 yuan, almost half the price of the same period last year. Latest statistics show that cherry trading volume last week was over 4,800 tons, a 35% increase compared to the previous week. In addition, the top three fruits recently are citrus, cherries, and apples, with citrus trading volume reaching 9,100 tons last week.

Hongxing Agricultural Wholesale Center is the largest comprehensive agricultural product cluster trading market in Hunan Province, also known as Changsha's "fruit platter." During this period, trucks from all over the country arrive one after another. Buyers come to see the first batch of newly arrived fresh goods, then select and place orders. After placing the orders, the goods are shipped out quickly, and fruits from all over the world are rapidly gathered and distributed, making the trading very active.

It is understood that many of the buyers are secondary wholesalers from various cities and prefectures in Hunan Province, as well as wholesalers from Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. They are all here to stock up for the Spring Festival, so the market has entered its peak trading season early. As the Spring Festival approaches, this peak trading period will gradually shift to the retail end, and the activity at the agricultural wholesale center will gradually decrease. Recently, the average daily trading volume of fruit is about 12,000 tons, with a transaction value exceeding 100 million yuan.

Speaking of the new changes, a small detail was observed by the reporter. Just two days ago, the agricultural wholesale center directly purchased its first full container of avocados from Peru, totaling 21 tons, which sold out in a day and a half, proving extremely popular. This is because it aims to meet the consumer market's higher demands for the freshness of imported fruits. Starting in May 2025, the agricultural wholesale center has specially set up the "Global Star Fruit Collection" imported fruit zone, sourcing high-quality fruits globally through the market's supply chain companies. This ensures direct delivery from the original container and full freshness preservation throughout the process. Fresh fruits such as Thai durian, Vietnamese jackfruit, and Chilean cherries can reach consumers' tables directly, improving fruit freshness and supply efficiency, and bringing consumers closer to fresh fruits from around the world.

In a few days, the Red Star Global New Year Shopping Festival will kick off, featuring over 4,000 vendors selling fruits. No matter where you buy, even a single item will be at wholesale price. Besides fruits, the Red Star Agricultural Wholesale Center also offers vegetables, meat, seafood, grains, oils, and dried goods. Here, you can find all the New Year's goods you need.

In addition, the New Year's shopping festival will feature interactive experiences, lucky draws, and special offers, as well as convenient services such as fair scales and shopping carts to ensure shopping convenience and safety, providing citizens with a one-stop New Year's shopping experience.

Xi'an, Shaanxi: Production and sales are booming; reporters visit a Lunar New Year flower production base.

With more than a month to go before the Spring Festival, the market for New Year's flowers in Shaanxi is already heating up. CCTV reporter Gan Kehan ​​is currently at a New Year's flower production base in Xi'an. What's so special about it?

The reporter visited the largest cut flower planting base in Shaanxi Province, specifically their packaging workshop. As you can see, eight production lines behind me are operating at high speed, with workers skillfully sorting and packaging the flowers. Each New Year's flower takes only one hour from harvest to finished product, ensuring it's shipped to destinations across the country in maximum freshness. On the other side of the workshop, the e-commerce live-streaming area is also bustling with activity. Live streamers are recommending this year's New Year's flower gift boxes to consumers through online platforms. This "online and offline integrated supply guarantee" model enhances the factory's ability to quickly respond to market demands.

The plant in the reporter's hand, resembling an open palm, is called an anthurium. It boasts a long vase life, vibrant colors, and easy care, and carries auspicious meanings such as good fortune, prosperity, and happiness. Therefore, it has gradually become a new favorite in the Lunar New Year flower market and is currently the main Lunar New Year flower variety supplied by this base. It's worth noting that anthuriums originally only grow in tropical rainforests, preferring heat and disliking cold. So why can it bloom profusely and mature on time according to market demand in Xi'an, northern China? The answer lies in this 50,000-square-meter intelligent greenhouse not far from the reporter.

It is understood that the greenhouses here adopt a Venlo-style greenhouse structure and are equipped with a fully intelligent IoT environmental control system. This system can acquire real-time information on temperature, humidity, light, wind speed, and pests and diseases. Technicians can remotely control the system from the terminal to ensure that the plants are in the best growth condition. For example, the automatic roof cleaning machine cleans the roof 8 to 10 times a year to ensure that the light transmittance exceeds 70%. Under suitable conditions, an increase of 1% in light means an increase of 1% in yield. The hot water pipes at the bottom precisely control the temperature and also serve as channels for automatic flower transport carts, enabling efficient transportation after harvesting. This precise control allows the flowers to grow vigorously and bloom according to order demand, achieving "flowers to be picked and sold every day," thereby improving the supply efficiency of the Lunar New Year flower market.

This year, the Lunar New Year flower season here started ordering a month earlier than last year. Statistics show that current orders have exceeded 3 million yuan, a 30% increase compared to the same period last year, and the total order value is expected to surpass 10 million yuan. The flowers are sold not only to multiple domestic cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, but also exported to overseas markets such as Singapore and South Korea. The thriving flower base has also boosted local employment, with dozens of permanent employees from surrounding villages and towns, and thousands of seasonal temporary workers each year. It can be seen that this batch of Lunar New Year flowers, blooming at the latest, is not only beautiful but also highly productive, bringing a higher quality of life to everyone.

Heze, Shandong: Enjoy delicious food, appreciate intangible cultural heritage, and experience a lively market.

As the Spring Festival approaches, local markets are gradually becoming more lively. In Shanxian County, Heze City, Shandong Province, a bustling market with a strong local flavor is in full swing, where people enjoy delicious food, appreciate intangible cultural heritage, and create a festive atmosphere.

The Yellow River Market in Huanggang Town, Shanxian County, Heze City, Shandong Province, is held every even-numbered day of the lunar calendar, with one market every other day. On market days, the market attracts approximately 1,700 to 1,800 people, and the annual attendance reaches over 300,000. We can see that there are still many people at the market today, and the drum and gong performances have made the market even more lively.

How can you come to a market and not sample the delicious food? The first thing that catches the eye is Shanxian mutton soup, a specialty of Shanxian County. A bowl of mutton soup in winter will warm you right up! Locally, mutton soup comes in red and white broths, but the one served at the market is red broth. As you can see, the broth is a vibrant red. The soul of the red broth lies in the addition of mutton fat and chili peppers during cooking. Actually, the spiciness isn't very high, making it very palatable for diners, which is why it's so popular. Many diners are already queuing up to try it. The perfect accompaniment to mutton soup is a hanging oven-baked flatbread. Baked in this special hanging oven, the flatbread is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and when eaten with the mutton soup, the taste is simply divine!

The market also features many local delicacies from Huanggang Town, such as "baked fish," where the fish meat is tender and juicy, a favorite among diners of all ages. There are also Huanggang fried dough twists, their golden appearance very tempting, and their thin, crispy texture a testament to the maker's skill.

Now, the Yellow River Market in Huanggang Town is not only a place to eat delicious food and buy things, but it has also become a comprehensive market integrating folk experience and intangible cultural heritage. Here, you can not only feel the strong local atmosphere, but also have an immersive cultural experience. In addition to gong and drum performances, there are also many handicraft stalls at the market. Look at this is Shanxian straw weaving. The maker's hands fly up and down, making vases, gourds, and small baskets that are both practical and beautiful. With the New Year approaching, look at this is Shanxian paper cutting. With a pair of scissors, a piece of red paper, and a pair of skillful hands, a little horse is vividly displayed in front of everyone. It is really lifelike.

Furthermore, Shanxian County boasts a rich and long-standing tradition of couplet culture and calligraphy, earning it the reputation of "Hometown of Couplets." With the Spring Festival approaching, couplets and the character "福" (fortune/blessing) have already begun to be written at the market, given to those who come to the market, so that everyone can receive a blessing.