¡@¡@Tuesday is Valentine¡¦s Day. The saint¡¦s day, long beloved of lovers in the West, is now celebrated in China too. Lovers want to make this day a memorable one for their loved ones and business people swarm in to take their share from the lovers¡¦ market. Our correspondent, Chen Simeng, reports from Shanghai.
¡@¡@Reporter:
¡@¡@Giving roses is the most traditional way to express your love. After the Spring Festival, prices for most kinds of flowers decreased, but not for roses.
¡@¡@For Valentine¡¦s Day lovers will have to pay at least ten yuan, or about 1.2 US dollars for one rose, while on normal days, one and a half yuan is enough.
¡@¡@Florists will reap their biggest bonanza for the year.
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¡@¡@¡§The biggest order I have received is for a bunch of 999 black roses, priced at 35,000 yuan.¡¨
¡@¡@Florists say Valentine¡¦s Day sales can equal four months worth of their sales ordinary days.
¡@¡@However, it seems that the special day is no longer just the florists, hotels, cinemas or restaurants day to make money.
¡@¡@Popular Bookmall, one of China¡¦s book store chains is promoting a special play for the lovers amongst their readers. Produced by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, the play, called The Lover, has been adapted from a book popular on the internet.
¡@¡@Shen Kai, the general manager of Popular Bookmall, says his book store is looking to find new ways to promote the appreciation of literature. Transforming a book into a play and then presenting it on Valentine¡¦s Day is their first experiment and it has been well received so far.
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¡@¡@¡§We have got very good feedback. Many people are very interested in the play after they have read the book. Now most tickets have been sold out.¡¨
¡@¡@Automakers also will not rest on the Lover¡¦s day. The Anhui-based Chery Automobile is set to promote its new car, Chery A520 nationwide on the day.
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¡@¡@¡§In Chinese net language, 520 sounds similar to ¡§I love you¡¨. So we would like to take advantage of the lover¡¦s day to promote our new car by staging a small-scale car show. We will provide free wedding cars for newly-weds.¡¨
¡@¡@Since the western festival was introduced into China, the lovers market has gradually taken shape.
¡@¡@Zhang Jun, an economist with Shanghai¡¦s Fudan University, says this market will stimulate the development of the service industry as a whole.
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¡@¡@¡§The direct influence of the lovers¡¦ market in Shanghai is to promote the city¡¦s service industry. And it will lead the service industry to focus more on young consumers.¡¨
¡@¡@Professor Zhang says the most dynamic part of the economy of a metropolis is related to its young consumers.
¡@¡@However, this scholar also warns service suppliers that in the face of a growing new demand in the market, it is crucial to provide a satisfactory service, or not only they will lose market share themselves, but the entire market will also be damaged.