The sweet, humid air and colourful stalls of the Laitai Flower Market are a lovely break from the grey, traffic-clogged streets of Beijing. But these days the mood among its vendors is grim.
The flower market has been badly affected by the government’s crackdown on extravagant consumption, a campaign that has played a significant role in the surprise slowdown of the Chinese economy in the first quarter.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen it,” said Mr Lu, a 10-year veteran of the country’s flower industry, who with his partner is reduced to playing computer games as his stall brims with roses and lilies.
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