Plugging the green deficit

Market boom

According to Zhao, the boom in horticulture education is closely related to the growing market demand, especially for those who can use high technology for planting. So, a lot of gardens in Beijing are also calling for more high-skilled talent.

But the gap between jobs and takers is so obvious that the industry has gradually become polarized with undergraduates and graduates preferring to become researchers and scientists in the field working for large-scale greenhouse operations and entrepreneurs.

And, also though landscape crews and workers are often urgently needed, sometimes only rural migrant workers in the city can fill the gap.

Higher salary is another aspect that young professionals consider.

So, even as the market thrives, some companies have not raised salaries, says Zhao.

Meanwhile, the 2019 Beijing International Horticulture Expo will be a valuable opportunity for the whole industry in China to attract more horticulture talent, says Zhang Qixiang.

As an A1-level expo, the highest rank, the Beijing 2019 has attracted more than 100 countries and international organizations to participate in the event.

The 162-day expo is aimed at displaying the latest achievements in floriculture and fruit cultivation, as well as vegetable farming worldwide, and is expected to see 16 million visitors from home and abroad.

"Horticulture is the direct way to connect your life with the green lifestyle. Also, gardening at home can raise people's awareness of green protection," says Zhang.

And as many young people in China now lack a basic understanding of plants and their value, the expo will help them learn how to protect our earth, he adds.

Cheng is also a keen supporter of the expo. And she has been part of the team decorating the China Pavilion, one of the main ones in the expo garden, since January this year.

She plans to bring her daughter, who is in primary school, to the Beijing Botanical Garden during the summer vacation. "I enjoy communicating with plants at work, to make myself fully blend with the environment," she says.