China to hold 1st national Ikebana contest

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 ◆ China to hold 1st national Ikebana contest

China plans to hold its first national contest on Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, in the port city of Tianjin from September 30-October 5.

This was disclosed at a conference of the national flower association, which was held in this north China municipality, 120 km east of the national capital, Beijing.

Participants will be selected from different provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The winners will join international competitions in the future.

The contest would show the progress of China's floral industry, said Sun Hailin, deputy mayor of Tianjin.

China produced 3.7 billion fresh flowers last year, according to official figures.