London's Kew Gardens Orchid Festival opens with first-ever China theme

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has opened its 30th annual Orchid Festival, themed around China for the first time. Lantern-style lighting and the scent of blooming flowers lent the gardens a festive atmosphere.

Richard Deverell, director of the Kew Gardens, said at a reception event for the Orchid Festival on Wednesday that choosing China as the theme this year was "because it's one of the most biodiverse countries in the world," possessing over 1,700 species of orchids. The festival, he said, aims to tell visitors two intertwined stories at once -- biodiversity and the cultural traditions rooted in it.

Deverell also highlighted the scientific message behind the spectacle, describing orchids as a "canary in the coalmine" for biodiversity because of their sensitivity to environmental change. It would become a reminder of the importance of plant conservation and international scientific collaboration.

Inside the Princess of Wales Conservatory, a glassy labyrinth, the exhibition route is threaded with Chinese New Year imagery and large-scale botanical installations including a plant-made dragon, pandas, a phoenix and storks. Orchids, lanterns and sculptural elements create a vivid walkway, while panels and displays introduce stories of orchid research and cultivation involving both British and Chinese partners.

Deverell pointed to Kew's deep links with China, including scientific cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which he said has involved ongoing exchanges and joint work in conservation and research.

At the opening reception, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang noted that orchids are cherished in both countries and in Chinese tradition are regarded as one of the "Four Gentlemen of Flowers," symbolising "integrity, resilience and a noble character."

Guided by the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," China is accelerating its green and low-carbon transformation and strengthening environmental protection, he said.