CRI听力:Special Purchases for the Spring Festival

With two days to go before the big countdown to the Year of the Dragon on Chinese lunar calendar, various dragon-themed items are selling well in markets. Red lanterns, Spring Festival scrolls, Chinese knots and various good-luck ornaments and blessings are on display. One merchant introduces his dragon-themed blessing.

"Look at this golden dragon on the blessing painting. It's like a relief sculpture. It's a new product."

The seller says that he can sell six-thousand copies of these paintings in one week, because people like them and think they will bring good luck.

Dragon toys are also popular at the markets. Some of the dragons are making vigorous gestures, while others are cartoons wearing traditional Chinese clothes. Bolsters and cushions with dragon patterns can be found everywhere.

As the Spring Festival approaches, candy sales are booming. Various kinds of confectionery in beautiful packages are on sale in supermarkets, such as miniature liqueur-filled chocolate bottles and sweets wrapped in a bear-shaped pot, which are very popular with children. A sales staff says shoppers can find any flavor of candy they want in the market.

"This new product has been released before the Spring Festival, and it comes in milk and chocolate flavors."

Flowers usually sell well before the Spring Festival. This year potted plants with several kinds of flowers are very popular. Florists select flowers with similar growing habits, shape them into special designs and decorate them with small lanterns, fireworks and butterfly ornaments. Lin Qiaoling is the general manager of Green Garden Company in Beijing.

"The flowers that have root systems are put into the same pot. The potted plant is alive and can last for a long time, so we call it a live sculpture."

People shopping in this flower market say they love the idea.

"I like the design of these potted plants because it can reflect your artistic taste."

"The idea of combining different flowers in one pot is quite fresh."

The flowers with bright colors are in huge demand, while new products with quiet colors are loved by the young.

Although the prices of the flowers have surged by about 15 percent due to increased labor and transportation costs, the market expectations are still optimistic. Zhao Wuyi is general secretary of the Beijing Flower Association.

"More than 3 million pots of flowers have been prepared for the Spring Festival for the Beijing market."

Fruit is also on the shopping lists of many people buying gifts for Spring Festival. Wholesale markets in Beijing are crowed with people. There are varieties of products from home and abroad. One salesperson introduces this year's new product.

"This is a new hybrid of Japanese pomelo and Chinese orange. It can stay fresh for half a year, and it tastes as sweet as honey."

What will you buy? Well, it may be a good idea for you to go to the market and find out for yourself.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.