Say it with flowers

 

Spring is here: Wan Zi Qian Hong conveys good health, happiness and longevity

By Foong Pek Yee

30 Jan, 2022

SHENTI JIAN KANG, WAN SHI RU YI (good health, all the best in Chinese),  a trader greets customers doing their last minute Chinese New Year (CNY)  shopping.

His sales pitch – good tidings  with flowers – draws customers to his flower stall in the SPPK market in Ipoh on Sunday morning (30 Jan).
The flower –  Wan Zi Qian Hong (tens of thousands of purple and thousands of red ) – an idiom on a garden in full bloom is among his most saleable items.
He says the flower conveys  good health,  happiness and longevity.
A pot of Wan Zi Qian Hong is priced at RM12 and RM35 for a pot of lime tree or  Kum Kut.  
Add value:  Good service brings business
According to him,  it takes six months to grow the Wan Zi  Qian Hong.
The timing is such that they will bloom during  CNY.
I bought his last three pots of Wan Zi  Qian Hong while another shopper snapped up the last two pots of Kum Kut   ( a symbol of prosperity
On a more serious note,  he says farmers and traders are treading cautiously this round.
Besides the pandemic, he says the increase in the price of  fertilisers and  pesticides and labour shortage have also  dampen the market.
A trader who sells cut flowers says there are not many varieties this round.
According to her, economic uncertainty,  financial constraints and  labour shortage saw many farmers cutting down on their production.
Her advice is to buy flowers early as stock is limited.
Among her saleable items is the yellow hulu (gourd) fruit – a symbol of good health, productivity and wealth.
Striking colour: The Hu Lu  fruits of different size  represent several generations together.

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