“The Orchid Society of Qionglai (hereinafter referred to as OSQ) was founded in 1987. It is the earliest professional association of its kind in China, providing us with a great advantage to develop the orchid and horticulture industry,” said Du Huaisheng, Vice President of the OSQ. Entering his house and walking through the living room, an exquisitely designed courtyard comes into view. In the yard sits a large greenhouse full of beautiful orchids of various species and varieties, which are a real delight to the eyes we have never expected.

       Countless pots of exuberant orchids are neatly placed on the racks. “There are a total of over 3,000 pots with more than one hundred of types,” Du Huaisheng told us, pointing to the flourishing plants, that orchid growing brings people peace of mind. He said orchids give off a unique and delicate scent. In Qionglai, many orchid lovers grow the plant in their courtyards, which can beautify their living environment, cultivate their aesthetic taste, and generate a stream of revenue for themselves. “So we call orchid cultivation a courtyard economy.”

       Having a Long History and Blessed with Favorable Natural Conditions

       With profound culture of orchid, Qionglai boasts a long history of orchid growing, which was explicitly documented as early as in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771BC), and the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Period (770-221BC). More than 3,000 years ago, people living in Qionglai found a kind of plant with colorful and fragrant blooms in the local woodlands, and then took it home and planted it in the land around their houses or in their courtyards. It is the magical and beautiful orchid.

       In Du Huaisheng’s yard, he detailed to us some of the orchids with verdant leaves which look extremely graceful and their flowers are uniquely fragrant and colorful. “It can be said that the orchid growers in Qionglai play a very significant role in the city’s orchid conservation and development in the orchid and horticulture industry.” Du Huaisheng noted that currently, the OSQ has over 1 million orchids with dozens of varieties which are regarded as local trademarks and geographical indications. And there are over more than 300 professional orchid nurseries with more than 1,000 growers and business owners in Qionglai. With a good reputation in China, it outperforms its counterparts in Sichuan in the number of professional orchid growers, rare species of orchids, total number of orchid seedlings and technology of orchid planting and breeding.

       With the local soil and climate ideal for orchid growth, Qionglai lies in the south of Longmen Mountains, abounding in germplasm resources of wild plants. Du Huaisheng said that the pleasant climate provides favorable conditions for the growth and reproduction of orchids. According to the older generation of local orchid growers, in the early 1970s, if someone has a pot of Spring Sword, a species of orchid blooming in spring, his or her home must be overcrowded with potential buyers every day.

       Taking the Expo 2024 Chengdu as an Opportunity to Boost Qionglai’s Orchid and Horticulture Industry

       In 2005, the Cross-Straits Spring Orchid Show saw the attendance of more than 1,000 orchid lovers from Japan, the ROK, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries. They were all amazed by the orchids from Qionglai, which enabled the orchid fans across the world to get to know Qionglai, a place well-known for orchids in southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

       “The International Horticultural Exhibition to be held in Chengdu in 2024 is a wonderful chance for all orchid lovers and growers in Qionglai, which will serve as one of the sub-venues for the grand event. I do believe that all members of the OSQ will do their best to present their works and display the diversity of Qionglai orchids, to promote the development of our local orchid and horticulture industry,” Du Huaisheng said.

       So far, a lot of rare species of orchids from Qionglai have been exhibited at home and abroad, winning more than 200 international, national and provincial awards.

       In addition, Qionglai is home to more than 800 orchid gardens, which are growing 2 million orchid seedlings with several hundreds of species. Currently, the annual turnover of orchids in China hits more than 50 billion yuan, while that of Qionglai amounts to hundreds of millions of yuan.

       "We will work harder to develop the orchid and horticulture industry, as well as the courtyard economy, to expand the income stream for the local orchid growers, boost the industry of our hometown, and ultimately, to facilitate our rural revitalization,” Du Huaisheng said with strong confidence in the future of Qionglai’s orchid and horticulture industry.