"Cloud Flower" Upward - How does Digitalization of Transactions Reshape the Trillion-yuan Industrial Ecosystem

China Flower News, Beijing, June 26, 2025

Author: Research Group of China Flower News

Opening remarks:

From the tender buds sprouting from the soil to the vibrant vitality that adorns thousands of households, every flower and tree bears the growth mark of China's flower industry. On this continuous industrial chain, there is the iterative upgrading of industrial technology, the pioneering spirit of entrepreneurs, and even more so, the tireless efforts of countless practitioners day after day.

Starting today, our newspaper launches the "Research Tour of the Flower and Tree Industry" column. Our reporters will delve into the front lines of the industry, measure the industry's pulse with their feet, and record the development stories with their pens. From the innovation of planting technology to the changes in market trends, from the exploration of enterprise transformation to the practice of increasing income for flower farmers, we will take you to see the true pulse of the industry's vitality. Please pay attention to this in-depth dialogue on beauty and economy.

In 1983, when Hua Zhongyi, a villager from Dounan Village, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, planted gladioli in his own vegetable garden, he could never have imagined that this act would ignite like a spark, illuminating the vigorous development path of Yunnan's flower industry and eventually giving rise to a fragrant and prosperous industrial scene.

Today, 42 years later, the flower industry in Yunnan has transformed into a pillar of the "beautiful economy" with a comprehensive output value of over 140 billion yuan. It has established a complete industrial chain system, directly driving 380,000 people to engage in flower planting, sorting and packaging, logistics and transportation, and flower e-commerce, and indirectly creating over one million jobs.

In 2024, Yunnan delivered an even more remarkable industrial performance - the province's fresh-cut flower output exceeded 20.6 billion stems, representing a year-on-year growth of 8%.

In midsummer, the "Flower and Tree Industry Research and Reporting Team" of China Flower News Agency visited Kunming to explore the industrial code on this fertile land. As the national champion in fresh-cut flower production, Kunming boasts two major industrial landmarks, the Dounan Flower Market and the International Auction Center, which hold an unshakable leading position in the national flower trading landscape. With the e-commerce wave sweeping in, Yunnan has become a strategic high ground for all kinds of merchants to compete for: local e-commerce platforms such as "Huawu", "Huayibao" and "Zhenqing" have emerged as strong forces, with annual transaction volumes all exceeding hundreds of millions of yuan, and are actively laying out the capital market, demonstrating strong development resilience.

From the bustling scene of traditional counterparty transactions, to the digital competition of bidding auctions, and then to the cloud-based interconnection of e-commerce platforms, the sales model of flowers in Yunnan has undergone several iterations and upgrades. To uncover the industrial mystery of "cloud flower going global", the research and reporting team conducted in-depth visits to industry institutions and leading enterprises, attempting to find the core driving force for the leapfrog development of the cloud flower industry in this wave of digital transformation.

    The flower shop at Kunming Changshui Airport