Orchid festival highlights decades of collaboration

The long and productive relationship between London's Kew Gardens and scientific partners in China has been celebrated at the opening of the Gardens' annual Orchid Festival, which this year focuses on the natural beauty of China.

This year sees 30 years of the Orchid Festival, which runs from Feb 7 to March 8 at the gardens in West London, a period that by chance also takes in Spring Festival.

Speaking at a reception and cultural evening to formally open the festival, China's ambassador to the United Kingdom Zheng Zeguang stressed the importance of environmental policy in building China's future. He also noted the significance of collaboration with overseas partners such as Kew, which has the world's largest and most diverse plant collection, and is a world center for botanical studies.

"In China (the orchid) is regarded as one of the four gentlemen of flowers, it has a special status in Chinese culture and is believed to embody integrity, resilience and noble character, so it is a common theme in Chinese poems, art and literature", he said. "The very fact that Kew's orchid festival is entering its 30th year demonstrates how much the British love orchids too."

The ambassador went on to mention British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recent trip to China, "which was a great success", and the prominence of environmental and climate action measures among the many agreements that were signed between the two countries during his visit.

"China is in the process of building 49 national parks and 60 national botanical gardens," he went on. "While protecting nature, these parks and gardens are also preserving cultural heritage, biodiversity, boosting local economies and enticing more tourists.

"In our endeavors we are fully committed to international exchange and collaboration, we want to learn more from the best practice of foreign national parks and gardens, especially Kew."

Richard Deverell, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, said his own personal fascination with China began on a 1987 visit to Yunnan province, an area which features prominently in the festival's displays. "I was struck then by its incredibly diversity …this left me with a lifelong fascination for China which has only grown over the years," he added.

He went on to praise Kew's "long, deep and evolving scientific partnership" with China, and said how close ties with collaborators in China for more than two decades were having a worldwide impact. "As a global charity, Kew exists to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on earth," he said.

In particular, he picked out Kew's long-standing connection with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "from seed conservation in Kunming, to collaborative research in some of most biodiverse regions of south west China, including Yunnan. These partnerships show science, shared ambition and long-term relationships can deliver lasting impact."

"China is rapidly rising as a global science superpower and we are delighted to have such a strong relationship with our good friends at the Chinese Academy," he added. Deverell also hailed the new botanical gardens and parks being created in cities across China as "a truly world-class program… China merits recognition and respect for all it is achieving."

The Orchid Festival, in Kew's Princess of Wales Conservatory, includes spectacular floral displays, as well as sculptures created out of plant materials representing the wildlife and culture China, symbols of spring festival, and artwork inspired by orchids. During the festival, there will be special after-hours evening events including live music and performance.