Jiangsu.NET News

Many of expatriates living in Jiangsu may not know Huaxi, officially the country's wealthiest village. Take the municipal government's stretch limousine across Textile Bridge, pass the smokestacks of the steelworks, speed alongside row after row of symmetrical pale-blue houses, skirt the 15-storey pagoda hotel and then alight for a walk down the red-carpeted corridor of capital.

This concrete-covered passageway is a monument to the giddy material progress made by the commune since China's policymakers began mixing their ideological drinks 26 years ago.

In those days, Valentine's Day, a traditional Western festival, has become a popular holiday, specifically for young generation. Chinese people have grown accustomed to celebrating the festival, with a variety of love-laden goods such as jewelry, flowers, dinners, or movies.

A flower shop keeper in downtown Nanjing, who asked to remain anonymous, tells the reporter that orders for roses on Valentine's Day have already surged over ten times the figure at other times of the year. Many other flower seller have the same saying, "A rose is priced at five yuan in regular time, but 10 yuan on Valentine's Day."