Chinese Valentine's Day drives demand for Yunnan roses

With the Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, approaching, demand for freshly cut roses is skyrocketing in Yao'an County, southwest China's Yunnan Province. Over a million stems are delivered daily to Dounan Flower Market, Asia's largest flower trading market in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province.

The Qixi Festival, which has its origins in a 2,000-year-old legend of two lovers, takes place on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in the Chinese calendar. This year, the festival falls on August 10th.

The two lovers Niulang and Zhinyu, a cowherd and a weaver fairy, were separated by the Silver River (the Milky Way) because their love was not tolerated by the gods. They could only reunite once a year when a flock of magpies formed a bridge across the river.

The festival has been an important day for young girls in China for hundreds of years. Since Zhinyu is an intelligent and resourceful figure, girls often go to temples to pray to the fairy for wisdom and skill in needlework, a traditional skill for a good wife as well as a happy marriage.

Today, the festival is a celebration of love and romance, with couples expressing their affection through gifts, including roses.

The Qixi Festival was declared a state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

In Yao'an County, workers at a rose cultivation and processing company are busy harvesting, sorting and packing roses. Since the end of July, demand has increased and constantly exceeds supply.

“Since July 17, the demand for roses has skyrocketed. Recently, we have supplied over 100,000 fresh roses to the Dounan Flower Market every day, with an average daily output value of around 120,000 yuan (about 17,000 U.S. dollars),” said Xue Shan, sales manager of the flower company.

According to the company's managing director, particularly light-colored rose varieties are popular at this Qixi Festival.

“The rose varieties I hold in my hands, namely the Pink Snow Mountain and White Snow Mountain varieties, are among this year's bestsellers. Their price is over two yuan per stem, and demand far exceeds our supply,” said Wang Pengcheng, production manager of the flower company.

Currently, Yao'an County has 1,320 hectares of high-end flower cultivation area, producing over 500 million fresh-cut flowers annually, and the total output value of the flower industry is 1.5 billion yuan (over 209 million US dollars).

Chinese Valentine's Day drives demand for Yunnan roses

The panda couple, who arrived at the San Diego Zoo from China earlier this summer, made their much-anticipated public appearance at the zoo on Thursday following the opening ceremony of the renovated Panda Ridge.

Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived in California from China on June 27 to launch a 10-year international partnership with the San Diego Zoo to protect giant pandas, marking a new round of cooperation between the two countries. The two pandas are the first to reach the United States in 21 years.

Yun Chuan is a nearly five-year-old male who is recognized by his long, pointed nose. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was the fourth cub born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007. Xin Bao is a nearly four-year-old female who is best recognized by her large, round face and big, fluffy ears.

At the opening ceremony, California Governor Gavin Newsom delivered a speech and declared August 8 as the state's Panda Day to celebrate the highly anticipated public appearance of the two giant pandas. In his speech, Newsom also thanked the U.S. and Chinese sides for their efforts and contributions in bringing the pandas to San Diego.

During the event, a portrait entitled “Friendship Around the World” was unveiled, showing a panda alongside graphic representations – the globe, bamboo and floral patterns – once again welcoming the arrival of the black and white ambassadors of friendship.

The redesigned Panda Ridge, which is four times larger than the previous panda habitat, is inspired by the lush landscapes in and around the giant pandas' natural habitats in China. The renovation is designed not only to provide a better living environment for the panda pair, but also to enhance tourists' experience and deepen their understanding of the species.

“Everyone is obsessed with pandas. They are just a beautiful symbol to share experiences and show how peaceful and beautiful life can really be,” said Aida, a tourist.

“I think that since the panda came (to the United States), it has become a messenger of friendship among people and is very popular. In fact, in a sense, it also embodies Chinese culture and spirit, such as the pursuit of harmony without uniformity and peace,” said Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the United States.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the most visited zoos in the United States. Located north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park, it is home to more than 12,000 animals representing over 680 species and subspecies.

Giant pandas make their debut at the San Diego Zoo