Young lads promote flower business at hometown in E China's Zhejiang

A staff member promotes Chinese roses via live-streaming at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

LONGYOU, April 22 (Xinhua) -- After graduating from college, Zhan Juntao and Liu Gang, both locals of Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, returned to their hometown to start a business together. In 2016, they introduced varieties of Rosa Chinensis, or the Chinese rose, from Europe and opened a planting base in the county.

Zhan Juntao (1st R) packs Chinese roses for visitors at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Liu Gang (L) instructs a farmer on picking Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

A staff member of a logistics company transports fresh-cut Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Zhan and Liu now operate two production bases covering a planting area of over 40 mu (about 2.67 hectares), where they grow more than 400 varieties of Rosa Chinensis. They sell fresh-cut flowers through e-commerce platforms and also open the planting base for sightseeing and flower-picking. During flower seasons in spring and autumn, the garden attracts an average of 500 daily visitors, creating annual sales exceeding 2 million yuan (about 273,000 U.S. dollars). The planting base also creates job opportunities for local farmers.

A staff member arranges fresh-cut Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Farmers pick Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Visitors pick Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Visitors take photos at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Farmers transport fresh-cut Chinese roses at a Chinese rose production base in Longyou County, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)