国内英语资讯:Across China: Flower auction, a multimillion-dollar industry blossoms on Chinese Valentine_时事

国内英语资讯:Across China: Flower auction, a multimillion-dollar industry blossoms on Chinese Valentine

"When buyers find the price appropriate, they just press a button and the deal is closed," Zhang said.

Florists can receive information about the buyers and the hammer price the same night and sellers will receive the money the next day. They have to seize every second to transport the flowers to guarantee the freshness.

Before dawn, trucks laden with fresh flowers rush into rural suburbs. With petals littering the floor of the warehouse, more than 500 kinds of about 10 million radiant beauties are on their way to cities across China as well as foreign countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Russia, and Australia.

"The auction is beneficial to both florists and buyers. We use an open and transparent way of bidding which contributes to a fast and effective information transfer on the flower market, reducing problems caused by asymmetric information," Zhang said.

"It's easy for florists to find out the market demand and quality it expects, which helps guide their planting and helps them build a strong brand," he added.

With low latitude and high elevation, Yunnan has one of the mildest climates in China, which has allowed the cultivation of a booming floral market.

Since 1999, when Kunming established one of China's biggest wholesale flower markets in Dounan, the suburb has been turned into the leading supplier of flowers across the country, and in recent years demands from overseas are fueled by the Belt and Road Initiative.