Flower sales have decreased sharply since Party authorities forbade displaying flowers at government meetings.

In Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, flower sales dropped by more than 40 percent in recent weeks compared with the same period in previous years, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday.

Many shop owners at a major flower market located on the city's Longxi Avenue said their business used to boom at the end of the year when there are many government conferences, but they failed to receive any orders from the government this month.