In the transition from spring to summer, a visit to the Qingdao Tulip Project in Guxian Town, Pingdu City, Shandong Province reveals over 300 acres of tulips blooming like an ocean. The vibrantly colored flowers sway in the breeze, resembling a painting that attracts many tourists for photo opportunities and visits.
The stunning tulip fields have made Guxian Town a new popular destination for social media check-ins. However, the blooming flowers are just a small part of the "beauty economy". After the tulips fade, the millions of tulip bulbs quietly growing underground are the Key point of the horticulture center.
As the "world's flower queen," tulips have become increasingly popular in various parts of China in recent years, especially in tourist areas, parks, and home gardening. The demand for tulips for both ornamental purposes and cultivation has been growing steadily. It is understood that nearly all tulip bulbs planted in Chinese parks and used for cut flowers are imported from the Netherlands, with new imports required each year. There are very few domestically produced commercial tulip bulbs available for sale. According to data from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China imported more than a billion tulip bulbs in 2023, with the annual import volume increasing by over 30%. The Netherlands supplies nearly 90% of the world's tulip bulbs.
The Qingdao Tulip Project was established by Gupu. The company's head, An Cunjun, informed reporters that inspired by the Dutch model of modern agriculture and the domestic demand for expanding tulip bulb production, they collaborated with a Dutch company long engaged in Sino-Dutch horticultural cooperation. This venture was facilitated by the National Development Bank's Qingdao branch, leading to the initiation of a tulip bulb breeding pilot project in Guxian Town. In 2022, a trial planting of 100 acres was conducted, involving Dutch experts from planting to process management and harvesting, resulting in tulip bulbs exceeding expectations in terms of both expansion rate and quality. Since last year, the trial has been expanded to 350 acres, approximately 16 million bulbs across 52 varieties, making it the largest tulip bulb planting field in China.
We have initiated industry-academia-research cooperation with Qingdao Agricultural University and other institutions, embarking on projects like tissue culture of tulip bulbs and field experiments based on new varieties. Our aim is to establish Qingdao as a model for an 'International Seed Capital' project," An Cunjun informed the reporter. This year, the company expects to produce 8 million commercially saleable bulbs and approximately 20 million bulbs for self-retention. The commercial bulbs have already been fully booked and are mainly sold in the domestic market, but there are plans to collaborate with the Netherlands to expand into markets in Japan, Korea, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The China-Netherlands Modern Horticulture Center plans a total investment of 500 million yuan, aiming to build a full industry chain park that integrates tulip new variety research and development, planting, fresh cut flowers, themed gardens, tourism development, product deep processing, and bulb breeding.
Dutch expert John van Eden, who is guiding the cultivation at the base, informed reporters that tulips are grown in many countries, with the Netherlands and New Zealand being the primary regions suited for tulip cultivation. The local soil and climate in Pingdu are very conducive to tulip growth. Compared to the Netherlands, the weather in Pingdu is drier, but good irrigation conditions can address this issue, resulting in very high-quality bulb harvests. He believes that tulip cultivation is quite complex and requires significant technological input. With its comprehensive petal production and storage system and extensive cultivation experience, the Netherlands plays a crucial role in promoting local cultivation. A key aspect is providing skill training that includes pest and disease identification, virus removal, and weed elimination.
Unlike other flowers, the storage of tulip bulbs is particularly crucial, with specific temperature requirements. Reporters have learned that a storage facility built to Dutch standards is currently under construction and will soon be operational.
The demand and potential for tulips in both domestic and international markets are very significant. This autumn, we plan to expand our planting area to 4,000 acres. At the same time, we are actively engaging in the global industrial chain. Last week, Gebr. de Jong, the world's largest bulb company, and Zwet Tulip, one of the top three companies for fresh-cut tulips globally, visited our base. They conducted research on China's tulip cut flower consumer market and have reached an important intention to cooperate with us," An Cunjun introduced. The next step for the company is to explore and draw inspiration from the Dutch model to establish a new type of cooperative. In collaboration with financial institutions, we will provide farmers with bulbs and comprehensive technical guidance while also taking responsibility for sales. Through this approach, we aim to guide local farmers in growing tulips, thereby driving income growth for farmers and promoting the coordinated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Meanwhile, we will accelerate the research, breeding, and scale production of tulip bulbs, achieving localization of tulip bulb production and supporting high-quality agricultural development. Consequently, tulips will further boost Pingdu's "beauty economy."
