Cymbidium lianpan Market Analysis and Personal Views

       The continuous decline of the Cymbidium lianpan market, which has now fallen into a trough, has lasted nearly ten years, and I have been watching it go by all these years. Of the once-famous "Five Golden Flowers," several varieties now fetch less than common orchids; a clump of "Dianmei" costs less than 30 yuan, averaging under 5 yuan per growth, and other varieties are similarly cheap. In fact, "Dianmei" is an outstanding variety of Cymbidium lianpan well worth appreciating; judged by petal shape, color, stability, leaf posture and many other aspects, it is extremely fine. So why is its value so utterly out of keeping with its price? The "Dianmei" phenomenon is representative of today's Cymbidium lianpan market, and in my view its causes are as follows:

   1. The frenzied speculation of the past created a bubble in the Cymbidium lianpan market

    The frenzied speculation in Cymbidium lianpan that began at the end of the twentieth century greatly exaggerated its value and drove prices up. Ordinary people preferred to believe that one orchid growth could be exchanged for a house or a car, and all hoped a miracle would fall upon them. But in the end no miracle came; on the contrary, many who invested with borrowed money met a nightmare and lost everything. Later people summed up Cymbidium lianpan as "whoever buys loses, whatever you buy you lose." The result was that some quietly withdrew from the orchid market, and those who did not withdraw were no longer willing to trust Cymbidium lianpan, turning instead to other varieties. Meanwhile, after more than twenty years of propagation, many of the famous Cymbidium lianpan varieties have reached considerable numbers; having lost buyers in the domestic and international markets, and relying only on consumption and investment purchases in Yunnan, Sichuan and elsewhere, the famous varieties are bound to be a glut on the market.

    2. Growers' pursuit of propagation through drug abuse dampened enthusiasts' enthusiasm

    The speculation of the past multiplied the value of orchids, and many growers, pursuing economic gain, used hormones to force budding and flowering, and cultivated at high temperatures, violating the growth laws of orchids, damaging their immune systems and producing all kinds of chemical damage and disease. Investors who bought such orchid growths found them highly prone to rotting buds and collapsing growths, causing losses and greatly harming the enthusiasm of investors and buyers. Added to this, scientific and technological orchids flooded the market - the large-scale appearance of hybrid and tissue-cultured varieties made it hard for people to tell true from false, causing losses and making them unwilling to buy again.

    3. The Cymbidium lianpan market was developed late, and the selection of famous varieties was not strict

    Only less than thirty years have passed since the large-scale development of the Cymbidium lianpan market and its promotion nationwide, yet in such a short time hundreds upon hundreds of famous varieties have been selected and registered, and orchid shows of all sizes have praised award-winning varieties even more. Such a short time and unprecedented scale of development have led to lax selection, with some varieties registered as famous before their stability had been tested, relying on just two or three flowerings. This turned "Yutu" into "Yetu," and produced "Xinhai Die," "Huangjin Hai'an" and others that bear ordinary flowers. These flowers never deserved registration as famous varieties; the pursuit of economic gain and the eager craving for reputation have produced today's many jokes and made orchid enthusiasts outside the province and abroad lose faith. Perhaps someone will say the selectors are not to blame, but rather the inherent instability of Cymbidium lianpan; then I would ask why "Jianyang Die" does not bear ordinary flowers, and why "Dianmei" has never opened unstable. In my view, every variety has its unstable flowers; the Chunlan and Huilan of Jiangsu and Zhejiang likewise have unstable ones. The difference is that unstable Chunlan and Huilan were not registered as famous varieties, so people simply do not know.

    Faced with such a predicament, where lies the way out for the Cymbidium lianpan market? In my view, now is precisely the moment for us to think calmly, sort out our thoughts and regain confidence. We must not let the superior resources of Cymbidium lianpan be buried; we must find ways to promote it anew to the domestic and international markets. I have summed up a few ideas of my own for reference.

    1. Understand Cymbidium lianpan rationally and objectively, and select and appraise a new "Five Golden Flowers"

    We should examine Yunnan's Cymbidium lianpan with rational, objective eyes and face up to the problems of the Cymbidium lianpan market; in particular, the selection of famous varieties must be stricter and the testing of stability given more attention. We should remove the unstable varieties from among the existing famous ones, such as "Huangjin Hai'an," "Yutu Caidie" and "Xinhai Die," and re-examine the existing famous varieties. We should select and appraise anew a genuine new "Five Golden Flowers" with real substance that can stand the test of history, and forge a new name card of Yunnan's "Five Golden Flowers."

    2. Raise the moral standards of those who grow and trade orchids

    Today's market environment has created the conditions for us - orchid prices have come down, and the frenzied counterfeiting and selling of fakes of former times has decreased. But this is not enough; we must work from two sides. First, government departments must step in: the industry and commerce authorities should increase penalties for counterfeiting and selling fakes, and set up a dedicated "Orchid Counterfeiting and Fake-Selling Supervision and Penalty Office" at orchid trading centres. As for government measures, I can only offer suggestions, hoping that people of insight will pay attention and bring benefit to the orchid market and the people. Second, we must raise the cultivation of those who love and trade orchids and stress good faith, which can start with holding orchid culture exhibitions. Mr. Li Yinglong, a famous Bai orchid grower, once held such an orchid culture exhibition and established an orchid museum. In my view, similar orchid culture exhibitions can be extended to the general public, letting ordinary people come to know and learn the character of the orchid, and giving orchid farmers and orchid vendors a chance to learn orchid culture as well. This requires the organisation of orchid associations in each place, and still more the joint efforts of every orchid lover.

    3. Advocate natural cultivation and do not deliberately pursue propagation

    Today's sluggish orchid market gives us such an opportunity: orchids are no longer so expensive, and there is no need to use extreme means to deliberately pursue propagation. Create a natural environment for the orchid and let it bathe in the morning light and grow strong. Set aside hormones and drugs; the natural is the most beautiful and the healthiest. I am not opposed to science and technology, but most of us do not have the conditions or the financial strength for it, so do not force it, harming others and yourself. An orchid enthusiast once told me he could make orchid growths multiply several times in a year, and turn normal growths into dwarf varieties... Do not be tempted; such a person is not worth befriending, for he has no orchid in his heart, only money. The orchid market in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was developed a full hundred years earlier than the Cymbidium lianpan market, and now more people there seek old varieties and original species. They understand better than we do that natural beauty is the most reliable and enduring.

     4. Continue to hold orchid shows so that more people gain a new understanding of Cymbidium lianpan

     At present, Dali Prefecture holds an orchid and bonsai show every year, led by the government and hosted by the orchid association. We must not only hold it, but intensify our efforts, inviting orchid enthusiasts from outside the province and even from abroad to exhibit. At the same time we can try holding Cymbidium lianpan exhibitions in other provinces: through mutual contact between the government and orchid associations, take Yunnan's Cymbidium lianpan to other provinces for orchid shows, so that more orchid enthusiasts outside the province come to know Cymbidium lianpan anew and reawaken their interest in it. But there must be no more wild boasting; be truthful and exchange sincerely.

     The above are some of my own thoughts and views on the Cymbidium lianpan market. Given my shallow knowledge and limited experience, there are certainly many shortcomings and inappropriate points, for which I ask your forbearance. My purpose is well-meant, and I sincerely hope the Cymbidium lianpan market can develop well and be built into a solid brand, going to the domestic market and striving to go international.