The construction of the 54-hectare Yunfeng Orchid Art Exposition Park with an investment of 70 million yuan (US$8,457,148.) has recently begun in Sanya, Hainan Province. According to relevant experts, it will be the first of its kind in the world.

The Yunfeng Orchid Art Exposition Park, a big "orchid city", is situated 6 kilometers northeast of Sanya. The construction is expected to be finished by the end of next year, with the main projects including the orchid exposition museum, the orchid production base, the orchid genetic resources protection center and the orchid group plantation center.

Aiming to display foreign and domestic orchids as well as promoting orchid art from ancient to present times, the expo park will engage mainly in orchid scientific research and plantation, orchid genetic resources protection, art exchange and flower selling. It will be a multi-functional orchid production base and a wonderful tourist attraction with a strong cultural ethos. In addition, it will also be the largest production base mainly growing traditional Chinese orchids as well as tropical orchids from Hainan Province.

It is known that the orchid is a primary product of the flower industry. Currently its global annual trade is between US$7-8 billion and still enjoys a speedy growth. According to experts, tropical and subtropical areas favor the growth of orchids. Singapore and Thailand in southeast Asia have seen great development in orchid production.

Sanya, located at the southernmost part of Hainan Province, is known as "a big natural hothouse". The land is fertile. The winter is short and the summer long. The annual average temperature is high and the rainfall abundant. There are more than 2,560 sunshine hours all year-round and the annual average temperature is 25.4 centigrade (77 F). The lowest average monthly temperature is 21 C which is good for the plantation of various crops. Sanya enjoys special natural conditions for orchid growth and the orchid market has a great potential.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao and Daragh Moller, November 19, 2003)