Inside the flower auction market: when panic spreads, a hundred flowers bloom in a fashion show

Approaching midnight, when the vast majority of people are getting ready for sleep, it is precisely the moment when the Taipei flower market is waking up. Freight from all over central and southern Taiwan. Carrying fresh flowers harvested and sorted that day by flower farmers from various regions, transported overnight to Taipei; after the freight trucks line up and unload, market sorting staff organize and inspect the goods, then hand off to the consignors, who pick out their favorites from the dazzling array of flowers and ring the bell to bid. In the early morning light, the flowers are carried to wholesale markets or flower shops, entering the final leg of their journey.

"In this season when panic is spreading, it is also the season when a hundred flowers bloom. Why not take advantage of the smaller crowds, put on a mask, and browse a flower shop? It will surely make even people who never thought of buying flowers stop, moved by the vitality of these beautiful blooms." said Lin Hung-yen, director of the planning office at Taipei Flowers Marketing & Production Co.

The Taipei flower market is the largest cut-flower trading market in the country

The Taipei flower market is operated by Taipei Flowers Marketing & Production Co. It is the heart of flower trading in northern Taiwan, and also the largest cut-flower trading market in the country. Every day's trading volume and price affect prices nationwide and flower farmers' willingness to harvest, showing just how important it is.

"Flowers are a 24-hour industry: cutting flowers at the place of origin during the day, transporting flowers at midnight, auctioning at dawn. Every moment of every day, someone is diligently doing their part in this industry." said Lin Hung-yen. During the day, farmers hand over their harvest to freight carriers; at midnight the flowers arrive at the Taipei flower market in Neihu; at dawn, through the auction market, prices are matched and transactions completed.

After the flowers are sold, they are immediately carried by backhaul trucks to the major flower markets north of Hsinchu and Hualien, and there are also flower businesses in Hong Kong, China that ask Taiwanese consignors to purchase on their behalf and ship the flowers by air to Hong Kong, China.

The silent battle of the midnight auction market

At 3:30 the cut-flower auction begins trading. Two to three hundred consignors fix their eyes on four large screens at once as numbers, product names and quantities are constantly updated. The consignors' fingers dance ceaselessly over the buttons, submitting their desired transaction prices.

The four large screens correspond to the four major categories of flower trading: chrysanthemums, roses and lisianthus, gladioli and grasses, and lilies, on four logistics tracks. The machine beside each track is where the auctioneer and his assistant work, responsible for displaying and introducing each batch of flowers and connecting with consignors to complete transactions; after a sale, the screen publicly displays the transaction price and volume.

The front auction market handles trading, while the back area immediately sorts and ships goods, the flow smooth and swift, with no room for carelessness. No wonder Lin Hung-yen, director of the planning office at Taipei Flowers Marketing & Production Co., said: "The auction market is a martial market; without someone to guide you, it is hard even to walk in."

Taipei flower market auction: an elegant and smooth front area, a tight and steady back area

Lin Hung-yen described the biggest difference from the Taipei fruit and vegetable market (commonly known as the First Market): the fruit and vegetable market is "people move, goods don't"; the flower market is "people don't move, goods do". At the Taipei flower market auction you won't see two or three dozen consignors surrounding the auctioneer as at the First Market, shouting bids with powerful voices and fierce momentum; the flower auction is more like a fashion show of competing blooms.

"The fruit and vegetable market is like fish fighting for feed, with consignors all surrounding the auctioneer shouting bids. Ours is different: the consignors at the flower market sit elegantly, only their fingers busy on the buttons." he humorously described the uniqueness of his own auction floor.

The auctioneer is the main figure in the front area. They hold samples high from the crates on the track, introducing the quality and characteristics of each batch of flowers so consignors can judge whether to bid. The auctioneer's movements are deftly completed within two or three seconds; to save time and keep trading smooth, fresh flowers enter the market in the shortest time possible.

Just like the track operation from the sorting area to the auction floor, an auctioneer must be trained all the way from loading goods, inspecting goods, assisting the auction, secondary display, to chief auctioneer. Regarding the heavy responsibility the auctioneer bears, Chang Cho-chi, deputy manager of the business department in charge of managing the auction market, also affirmed: "Without more than a decade of training, one cannot forge a qualified auctioneer."

Every flower farmer who sends flowers to the Taipei flower market has a chance to have them placed on the display stand. The auctioneer describes the appearance, and more than two hundred consignors in the audience seats below, like judges, keep raising or lowering the price with the buttons in their hands. Once a consignor places an order, the computer immediately prints it out, and an assistant auctioneer sticks a label bearing the consignor's number on the crate, which is sent directly from the track to the back area, the pace so fast it is jaw-dropping.

The crates are transported to the back area, where shipping staff load and unload them by zone according to consignor number. Before consignors collect their goods, they need only swipe their card at the printing area, and the computer automatically prints today's flower varieties, quantities and prices, all clear at a glance. After staff at the shipping exit scan to confirm the varieties and quantities are correct, the flowers are loaded onto vehicles or sent to the wholesale market.

Another kind of encounter between consignors and flower farmers: the "vase test laboratory" of the Taipei flower auction market

In the back area of the cut-flower auction there is a glasshouse display area, the "vase test laboratory" of the Taipei flower market. To make it convenient for consignors to understand the quality, durability and color performance of flowers produced by each flower farmer, and to let consignors learn about product characteristics up close, the flower company specially planned the laboratory to display seasonal cut flowers by month.

"For example, at Chinese New Year it displays lilies and silver willow; in February for Valentine's Day it is roses and lisianthus; in March, to coincide with Tomb-Sweeping Day, it displays chrysanthemums and gladioli; in April it is now anthuriums, and the next round will be carnations, the star of Mother's Day; in May, as graduation season approaches, it is roses and lilies again." Lin Hung-yen introduced, reeling them off like treasured family heirlooms.