Published : 30/01/2026
With Spring Festival approaching, bustling flower markets draw crowds seeking good fortune. Among the blooms, the graceful butterfly orchids stand out as the "King of New Year Flowers."
Do you know? One out of every four butterfly orchids in China comes from Foshan. Foshan has the largest plantation base of phalaenopsis in the country, its varieties and sales have been highlighted on CCTV news for years. What makes Foshan's orchids so distinctive?
The waterside flower market in Lishui Town (里水水上花市), Nanhai District, Foshan City, is a unique floral event—the only one of its kind across China.
Held annually just before the traditional Chinese New Year flower markets begin, it lasts only a few days yet officially kicks off the flower market season in Foshan for the Lunar New Year celebrations.
Lishui: Home to a third of China’s butterfly orchids
At the Wanqing Horticulture World (萬頃園藝世界) in Lishui Town, Nanhai, Foshan, a cross-industry event was held, seamlessly integrating floriculture and fashion.
On the catwalk, models glided gracefully while holding butterfly orchids, introducing new varieties to the audience. This debut show not only celebrates the Chinese New Year but also highlights the accomplishments of Nanhai Lishui's butterfly orchids industry.
There is a popular saying in the industry: one in every four butterfly orchids come from Foshan.
According to official statistics from Foshan, the city consistently produces over 55 million Phalaenopsis plants annually, occupying about one-third of the national market. In 2021, the China Flower Association honored Foshan with the title of "Home of butterfly orchids in China".
Furthermore, the annual Spring Festival flower market here has been featured repeatedly in CCTV news reports—all of which underscores the remarkable achievements of Lishui Town in Foshan.
Ideal conditions for growth of butterfly orchids
Why are the butterfly orchids from Lishui, Foshan, so exceptional?
Butterfly orchids flourish in tropical climates, favoring warmth, high humidity, good airflow, and indirect sunlight. Lishui Town in Foshan enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate characterised by mild, humid weather, ample cloud cover, abundant rainfall, and soft sunlight year-round.
These conditions align closely with the orchid's growth requirements, creating an exceptionally favorable natural environment.
Building on these geographic advantages, local growers have continuously introduced smart technology, cultivating large quantities of high‑quality varieties in greenhouses. As a result, both the output and the standard of butterfly orchids have risen rapidly.
Smart Technology Boosts Output, Daily Sales Hits 10K Plants
In the butterfly orchid industry of Lishui, breeding and tissue culture—once the weakest links—have been significantly enhanced through the introduction of smart technology.
The Huaqianyu Butterfly Orchid Tissue Culture Base serves as a prime example.
Located within the Huasui Yungu Agricultural Industrial Park in Nanhai District’s Lishui Town, the base features core facilities including a 2,300-square-metre standardised cleanroom, an acclimatisation chamber, intelligent temperature control, automated sterilisation systems, and precise environmental monitoring.
It has also pioneered a digital traceability system for butterfly orchid seedlings in China, allowing the entire growth history of each plant to be tracked via a QR code on its culture vessel.
Through the widespread application of smart greenhouses, with precise control over temperature, humidity, and supplementary lighting, the fluctuations of the natural climate have been completely overcome, achieving year-round cyclical and standardised production. In particular, the flowering period can be precisely regulated, ensuring a year-round supply.
With the support of technology, Lishui has now attracted over 350 butterfly orchids cultivation enterprises and has established several large-scale orchid industrial bases.
Among them, the more prominent ones include Lishui Wanqing Horticultural World (里水萬頃園藝世界), Nanhai Flower Expo Park (南海花卉博覽園), and Lishui butterfly orchids Flower Base (里水蝴蝶蘭花卉基地).
The Lishui butterfly orchids Flower Base alone ships an average of over 10,000 plants daily. Driven by the market appeal of new varieties, innovative products, and styled arrangements, its sales continue to rise steadily.
Live streaming & streamlined logistics with 24-hour delivery
These huge production bases, as well as e-commerce platform, live streaming e-commerce, and an advanced logistics system, have formed a seamlessly integrated butterfly orchids industry chain encompassing "production, sales, and distribution."
Once customers place orders via e-commerce platforms, the products are promptly packaged at the base and shipped to destinations around the world.
Currently, Lishui has gathered more than 80 e-commerce enterprises.
Leveraging high‑speed and cold‑chain logistics networks, the region ensures that once harvested, butterfly orchids can be delivered to most households across the country within 24 to 48 hours, while also reaching markets in Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia with efficiency.
Lishui, Foshan, has earned its title as the "Butterfly Orchid Capital of China" not solely due to its uniquely favorable geographical conditions, but also stems from the integration of multiple factors.
From cultivation and research to sales and logistics, Lishui has established a fully integrated industrial chain.
It is precisely this interconnected industrial strength that has enabled a specialty product from a small town to successfully make its way into households nationwide and overseas markets.
Read more: Unveil 2 unique water flower markets in GBA