Hustle and bustle has returned to Asia's biggest floral market as the novel coronavirus retreats

Freshly cut flowers are placed in storage racks ahead of being traded at the Dounan International Flora Auction Trading Center. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

At 6 o'clock in the morning, Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, Yunnan province, springs to life as the work day gets into full swing.

A barometer of China's floral industry, the largest freshly cut flower market in Asia has regained its hustle and bustle as the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.

By 9 am, vehicles packed with boxes of flowers from across the province have arrived at the Dounan International Flora Auction Trading Center, which is part of the market. The flowers are unloaded, examined, graded and placed in storage racks in preparation for promotions and sales.

At noon, livestreaming hosts employed by dealers across the country begin their work promoting the flowers. They stroll around the market explaining via their mobile phones the features and qualities of the different varieties.

Dealers trim freshly cut carnations before packing them in boxes on Aug 9. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Three hours later, the auction begins and hundreds of flower dealers submit their bids. Every day, about 1 million stems of freshly cut flowers are sold at the auction.

At 4 pm, the main flower market, which has become a popular tourist attraction in Kunming, opens to retailers and ordinary customers.

Around 10 pm, food and fruit vendors start arriving in the streets around the center, setting up stalls and turning the area into a vibrant night market.

At midnight, workers from transport companies are still busy packing flowers into boxes, loading them onto trucks and taking them to the airport and train stations.

The frantic pace continues for another two hours and it's only at about 3 am that the market finally becomes quiet.

However, after a few hours, the flower growers in their trucks start arriving as a new day dawns and the whole process starts again.

A peddler sells floral garlands to visitors at the market on Aug 9. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Dealers trim freshly cut carnations before packing them in boxes on Aug 9. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A freshly cut flower section at Dounan Flower Market in Kunming, Yunnan province, is packed with dealers at 9 pm on Aug 10. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Dealers attend the flower auction on Aug 10. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Driver Zhang Junbo unloads boxes of roses from his truck at the market on Aug 10. He goes to the market twice a day to deliver flowers. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A dealer examines the quality of the flowers at the auction trading center on Aug 9. (WU FAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)