China's rapidly growing e-commerce market has made it possible for consumers to buy anything they can imagine online — from clothes and bags to daily groceries, from claw machines to pet guinea pigs. As autumn deepens in northern China, some customers have even discovered that now they can buy the season online, as fallen leaves are put on sale on China's major e-commerce platform Taobao.
"Leaf specimens and withered leaves for forest-themed weddings, autumn shop window decoration and art exhibitions," advertised seller Anthea's Gardening World from central China's Huaihua city in Hunan Province.
The virtual shop, one of a dozen on the platform, sells preserved fallen leaves of maple, gingko and Chinese parasol trees, the typical autumnal foliage that reminds people of the season.
Customers pay 20 yuan (3 US dollars) for 50 well-preserved leaves of Chinese parasol trees, or 60 yuan for a foliage gift bag filled with over 800 gingko leaves.
Fallen leaves sold on China's major e-commerce platform Taobao. /Screenshot fromTaobao
The leaves, as the seller describes, were collected shortly after falling and were stored in separate warehouses to undergo the dehydration process.
Reviews of the product show that people purchased fallen leaves for various reasons. While some used the leaves to create an autumnal atmosphere at their shops, others turned the leaves into crafts or simply collected the foliage for fun.
"I buy dried leaves online every autumn," a fashion boutique shop owner surnamed Zhou told Beijing Youth Daily. "Leaves in southern China seldom turn yellow because of the warmer climate, so we have to buy fallen leaves online to decorate our shop when we try to sell our autumn and winter collections."
A customer who bought fallen leaves for shop decoration shares a photo on Taobao. /Photo via Taobao
The golden leaves are also in demand among wedding planners, as forest-themed weddings are popular among young Chinese couples.
"We need huge amount of leaves to blanket wedding venues," a professional wedding planner surnamed Su told Beijing Youth Daily. "It's too challenging for us to collect the leaves on our own."
While many customers welcome the burgeoning business idea, which seizes seasonal beauty, others question if the natural products abide by sanitary standards.
A Shanghai-based seller which received over 600 monthly orders told CGTN that their leaves are not disinfected.
"If safety is your primary concern, I would advise that you reconsider," the virtual shop's customer service staff said.
Botany experts also warned customers of the potential danger hidden in the leaves.
"Autumn is the high-occurrence season for plant diseases," Li Rong, a botanical expert at Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Beijing Youth Daily. "Fallen leaves are not only covered in dirt but could potentially carry insect eggs and affect people's health."