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Yunnan flowers bloom in Cambodia Old friends, new stories

云花赴柬 我们讲述“老友”新故事

Everyday, local flower retailers stream newlyweds.”
into the Kunming Dianwang Flower Co., As the flower business flourished, Fu
Ltd.’s Eco-Greenville cultivation base, just began to envision establishing Yunnan’s
outside downtown Phnom Penh, Cambodia, floriculture in Cambodia. With the deep-
to replenish their stock. After purchasing ening agricultural cooperation between
another batch of moth orchids, Sokha Yunnan and Cambodia, his idea quickly
(transliteration), a frequent customer and became a reality. In 2021, supported by the
owner of a flower shop in downtown Phnom Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences,
Penh, explained: “The potted plants here are Fu partnered with Cambodia’s Ministry of
diverse in variety, excellent in quality, and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to create
abundant in quantity. They also have spe- a demonstration flower cultivation base in
cialists who teach maintenance techniques, Phnom Penh. They introduced high-quality,
making them very popular among local re- heat-resistant flower varieties such as roses,
tailers and consumers.” gerberas, and moth orchids for local demon-
“We’ve been on this cooperation journey stration planting. Concurrently, they con-
for over 10 years, evolving from importing ducted cultivation technique training, offer-
fresh cut flowers to cultivating and planting ing over a hundred annual opportunities for
varieties adapted to the local climate,” said Cambodian agricultural experts, university
Fu Chao, General Manager of Dianwang students studying agriculture, and aspiring
Flower. He explained that since 2014, the growers.
company has been exporting fresh flowers From 2021 to 2024, Dianwang Flower
from Kunming to Cambodia, with export completed the construction of the Chi-
volumes surpassing 1,500 tons by 2024. na-Cambodia Flower Technology Pro- When contacted by our reporter, Jiang experiences,” said Cai Yilin (transliteration),
These flowers are distributed through var- motion Center, a project initiated by the Hong, Chairman of Yunnan Good-trip In- Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Selan-
ious flower shops, enriching the lives of Kunming Municipal Bureau of Science and ternational Travel Group Co., Ltd., was in gor, Malaysia.
Cambodian consumers. “Cambodians fre- Technology. This brought advanced flori- Kuala Lumpur discussing cruise tourism Selangor, with its pleasant climate, abun-
quently use fresh flowers to decorate wed- culture technologies to Cambodia, enabling business. “Having worked in the Malaysian dant natural resources, and diverse culture,
dings, and our Yunnan flowers have been Yunnan’s flowers to take lasting root and market for 15 years,” Jiang Hong said excit- boasts tourism resources that mirror many
part of countless joyful celebrations for thrive. edly, “I’ve increasingly observed that tourism of Yunnan’s. Cai observed that many visi-
exchanges and cooperation between China tors to Malaysia are moving beyond short,
and Malaysia, and specifically between Yun- superficial “sightseeing-only” tourism, with
nan and Malaysia, are flourishing and evolv- a growing preference for longer, more in-
ing rapidly. Our confidence in expanding the depth “immersive tourism.” “To meet this
market has grown even stronger.” demand, we have launched a series of in-
In recent years, with flights gradually re- depth tour routes focusing on themes such
suming and visa-free policies continuously as ecology, culture, art, extreme sports, and
optimizing, cross-border tourism between cuisine,” she said enthusiastically.
Yunnan and Malaysia has significantly Following the implementation of the mu-
picked up. Data from the Kunming Travel tual visa exemption policy between China
Agency Industry Association reveals that and Malaysia, the number of Chinese visi-
last year, travel agencies across the city tors to Malaysia has continued to grow. In
organized over 20,000 Yunnan tourists to 2024, Malaysia welcomed over 3.7 million
visit Malaysia and welcomed over 90,000 Chinese tourists. Cai said, “We welcome
Malaysian tourists to Yunnan. Jiang Hong’s tourists from all over China, including Yun-
company also saw a corresponding rise in nan, to deeply explore Selangor and experi-
business volume. ence its unique charm.”
“With the growing appeal of ‘sojourning In March this year, Cai led a delegation
in Yunnan,’ we’ve prioritized developing of nearly a hundred Malaysian tourism pro-
inbound tourism products that integrate fessionals on an 11-day visit to four Chinese
leisure, wellness, and other distinctive fea- cities—Kunming, Chengdu, Qingdao, and
tures. For instance, we recently organized Zhengzhou—to promote Malaysian tourism.
a Malaysian tour group of over 40 people “Yunnan has always been a key gateway for
for a highly praised hot spring wellness Malaysia-China cooperation, and it’s also
experience in Tengchong,” Jiang Hong one of the most beloved Chinese tourist des-
explained. He further noted that with the tinations for Malaysian visitors,” she said
new Dali to Kuala Lumpur route opening excitedly. She added that in recent years,
this year, Good-trip Travel has actively ar- with the rise of social media, more and
ranged tours, simplifying travel for Yunnan more Malaysians have developed a longing
residents interested in coastal destinations for Yunnan’s snow-capped mountains and
in Malaysia. International cruises, he add- valleys, unique ethnic customs, and enticing
ed, have also become a primary focus for cuisine. The direct flight time of approxi-
their Malaysian market operations in recent mately 4 hours between the two locations
years, offering tourists unique and diverse further facilitates bilateral tourism.
experiences. As 2025 marks “Visit Selangor Year,” Cai,
“Yunnan and Malaysia have always when discussing future cooperation, stated
been old friends with a history of frequent that Selangor aims to not only attract more
exchanges. I look forward to increased visitors but also pursue deeper collaboration
cultural and tourism cooperation to further with Yunnan in areas such as educational
strengthen our ties and create new shared study tours and intangible cultural heritage.