The flower market is a plain and ordinary place. And my first memories of the flower market date back to when I was small, buying flowers with my mother before Chinese New Year. Chinese people love lucky associations, and many people like buying flowers at the New Year’s market — with the belief that “Flowers’ blooms bring prosperity and nobility,” as the saying goes. Mom would always lead me by the hand crisscrossing through the throng of people.

There are all kinds of flower stalls — some specialising in freshly cut flowers, bonsai, orchids, or particular flower arrangements. Aside from the florists, there are occasionally small stalls, some selling flowers, of course, but others selling trinkets, or else fried chestnuts with the aroma wafting in the air. Flowers also represent “culture”, symbolising the festivities or perhaps the emergence of consumerism.

Flower markets harbour very many stories of the “little guy” and humdrum everyday tales.
Flowers bloom and wilt, while folks attempt to seek beauty in life. Looking at the traces of life and the tracks of history from an absolutely ordinary place, we try to understand the people and things in the place with our eyes — an unusual angle from which to observe the flower market.

花墟，一個平凡的地方。我對花墟最初的記憶來自小時候跟媽媽在農曆新年前買花。中國人都喜歡好意頭，很多人也喜歡在新年到花墟買花，取個「花開富貴」這個好意頭。媽媽總是牽著我的手在人多擠迫的地方穿梭。

這裡有各式各樣的花店，有專門售賣鮮花、盆栽、蘭花及花束等。花店外有時出現一些小攤檔，有些賣花，有些賣飾物，或者香噴噴的炒栗子。花也代表了文化，是節日或者消費主義冒起的象徵。

花墟，內藏很多小人物和平常事。花開花落，人們在生活中尋找美感。我們從一個平凡的地方看生活的痕跡和歷史的軌跡。我們嘗試用耳朵認識這個地方的人和事，從一個不一樣的角度看花墟。