An opening ceremony of the annual Orchid Festival was held on Wednesday at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London, gathering botanic experts and cultural enthusiasts from both the UK and China.

For the first time in 30 years of its history, the orchid festival has invited the theme of 'China'.

"Orchid is a beloved flower in both China and the UK," said Zheng Zeguang, Chinese ambassador to the UK, while delivering a speech at the opening event. "As one of the 'Four Gentlemen of Flowers,' it is believed to embody integrity, resilience, and a noble character, and has therefore been a common theme in Chinese poems."

The ambassador quoted a poem by Chinese poet and artist Zheng Banqiao, which reads "this flower holds pure virtue and grace, seeking no fame, but the mist and the haze."

Visitors are expected to see diverse orchid flowers from the world this year, and some are specifically native to China. China is home to 1,710 known species of orchid plants.

According to Zheng, China has been making great efforts in ecological and environmental protections.

"We are building 49 national parks. Five of them are already completed, totaling 57 million acres. Those parks span tropical rainforests, remote glaciers, vast deserts and high-altitude wetlands. We have also put in place two national botanical gardens and are in the process of building another 14," said Zheng in his speech.

He added that Kew has maintained sound exchanges and collaboration with quite a number of Chinese institutions, parks and gardens. And every year, Kew receives many Chinese delegations.

Richard Deverell, director of the Botanic Gardens at Kew, also mentioned the partnership between Kew and Chinese institutions. Calling China one of the most biotic diverse countries on earth, Deverell said Kew Gardens shares long, deep and involving scientific partnership with China.

"For more than two decades, Kew has worked with partners across China, most notably the Chinese Academy of Sciences from seed conservation in Kunming to collaborative research in some of the most biodiverse regions of southwest China, including Yunnan," said Deverell.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has just visited China, the first British prime minister in eight years. Chinese and British government departments and companies have reached more than 20 agreements between them, including the establishment of a high-level climate and nature partnership.

Ambassador Zheng Zeguang said he hoped that Kew will seize the opportunity to deepen their cooperation in botanical research and development.

The event, expected to last from February 7 to March 8, has also coincide with the traditional Chinese Spring Festival, also widely known as the Chinese New Year, falling on February 17 this year.

2026 is the Year of the Horse. At the Orchid Festival this year, visitors would also be able to see the Chinese elements, such as a Chinese Loong made from lotus seed head and decorated with orchid flowers, giant pandas and golden monkeys made by dry plants.

The Chinese ambassador also conveyed his best wishes for all the guests and visitors.

"In the Chinese culture, the horse symbolises courage, resilience and perseverance. With that, I wish you all good health, happiness and every success in the year ahead," he said.