Winter Solstice: Bring in a piece of warmth with flowers
By Ai Yan
04:19

There was a time when Dongzhi, or Winter Solstice, was considered an important festival in China.

Today, it is more widely known as one of the 24 solar terms, but many Chinese still maintain the tradition of marking the day. For instance, they would eat dumplings or glue rice balls on that day.

Winter Solstice may not see the lowest temperatures, but it does mark the shortest day and the longest night for those who live in the northern hemisphere. In China, with the Spring Festival around the corner, a warm, bright color is more preferable for interior decoration during this time of year.

The hope is that the floral design for Winter Solstice will bring a piece of warmth to your room with the bright colors. 

Florist Cherry Ran prepares a design. /CGTN Photo

Florist Cherry Ran prepares a design. /CGTN Photo

Florist Cherry Ran picked an orange straw chrysanthemum for her design. It is a flower that blossoms only in winter, and with a long flowering period, too. She chose a buttercup flower and the wintersweet as the accompanying flowers.

By trimming the cedar branches, Ran decorated the pedestal of the basket into a small bush, which she called "a small forest."The flowers were put at the center of the "bush," and were adjusted to form different layers for admiration.

Last, but not least, some dry Chinese willow branches were added to the design to give it a structure or frame. The whole floral piece of work has been bestowed with "spirit" with a winding upward curve. 

A completed Winter Solstice floral design. /CGTN Photo

A completed Winter Solstice floral design. /CGTN Photo

Most of the flowers and materials chosen here have had a long flowering period, and according to the florist, they are meant to last even longer to bring some warm color to the room during the long and gloomy cold winter.

Have you learned how to make a design? Give it a try, and decorate your winter by yourself. 

Scriptwriter: Ai Yan

Editor: Ai Yan, Zhang Ziyu

Cover image designer: Yu Peng

Video editor: Yu Yingtian

Executive producer: Zhang Xiaohe

Producer: Si Nan

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei