A total of 1,023 booths for the 30th Shenzhen Spring Festival Flower Fair would be auctioned between Dec. 18 and 19, the Louhu urban management bureau told a press conference yesterday.
It is the eighth time Shenzhen has put the booths at the annual flower fair under the hammer.
People from around the country were invited to bid with a reserve price of 2,000 yuan (US$299) for each booth.
Bidders are required to pay a deposit of 1,000 yuan before Dec. 17 to qualify for bidding, said the bureau, which has been tasked to organize the fair since 1986.
Bidders can bid for more than one booth.
Because there are a limited number of booths and a large number of bidders, we will keep a close eye on profiteering from booths after the bidding, said head of the fair management office, identified as Huang.
The booth numbered 001 was the most sought after because it was closest to the main entrance. A woman florist from Guangzhou bid around 20,000 yuan for the booth during fierce competition last year.
A total of 1,300 flower retailers and florists attended the auction last year when most booths sold for more than 5,000 yuan. The five-day fair is due to open on Aiguo Road in Luohu District on Jan. 29.
The 510 booths in the areas A, B, C and D will sell pot plants, fresh flowers, potted landscapes and root carvings.
The 115 booths in Area E will sell flower handcraft.
Booths in areas F and G will be occupied by jewelry, toys and festive decoration articles.
Spring Festival couplets, paintings and calligraphy will be available in Area H.
Decorations at the fair will feature the rabbit because 2011 is the year of the rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac.
Huang advised people to use public transport to visit the fair because parking around the fair was very limited.
There were 1,022 booths with more than 4,500 varieties of flowers on sale last year, attracting more than 1 million visitors.
