Yunnan's climate - mild winters, strong sun, large day-night temperature swings - makes it the flower-growing centre of China, and the trade is concentrated at Dounan in the Chenggong district of Kunming. The market moved to a purpose-built complex with an electronic auction hall, and it now handles a substantial share of the country's cut flowers, most of the roses, lilies, carnations, gerberas and orchids sold in Chinese cities passing through it. Visiting is a straightforward and rather surprising experience: a wholesale commodity exchange, running overnight, for flowers.
The auction and the wholesale halls
Growers deliver in the evening and the auction runs through the small hours, with buyers bidding on lots on a descending clock - the price falls until someone presses, which is the Dutch system that Kunming's auction adopted. Around it, wholesale halls open in the early morning with buckets and bales of flowers sorted by grade, and buyers load vans for cities across the country. The auction itself is a licensed commercial process and is not something a visitor can join, but the wholesale floors before and after it are open to walk through.
The retail floor
One large hall operates as a retail market, open through the day and into the evening, where the same flowers are sold by the bunch at prices that surprise anyone used to European florists. Roses, lilies and hydrangeas by the armful, dried flowers, artificial flowers, vases, wrapping paper and florist supplies fill the aisles. Because the stock turns over daily, quality is high and the market smells overwhelming in the best way. Many visitors come at night, when the wholesale trade is busiest and the retail hall is still open.
Practical notes
Dounan is in Chenggong, roughly an hour south-east of central Kunming by metro, which runs to the area; a taxi is faster outside rush hour. There is no admission charge and no formal tour. If you want to buy flowers to take home, remember that cut flowers and plant material are subject to agricultural import rules in most countries, so check before packing them. Yunnan also produces essential oils and dried flower products that travel considerably better than fresh stems.
