The flower expo organizing committee estimates that the event will attract 3 million visitors who are expected to stay at least a night or two.

Liu Qing, the owner of a bed-and-breakfast property called Zhigu 1984, says: "The advantage of the island as a perfect retreat destination is that it's so near to downtown Shanghai."

Born and raised on Chongming, Liu went on to work in advertising firms located in downtown Shanghai in 1998. In 2016, after sensing that weekend retreats were a booming industry segment, he returned to his hometown and turned his family's old house into a bed-and-breakfast.

In October, Liu founded a Chongming guesthouse association which has 58 members.

"There is a gap between the demand and supply of catering services on Chongming, and this will be intensified by the flower expo. The association aims to enhance communication between the industry and the local government," Liu says.

Besides promoting the regulated development of the catering and guesthouse sector, the district government has launched a project called "Flower Expo Family", which encourages Chongming residents to renovate and lease their homes to visitors during the expo.

Zhu Hongxing, who has been living on Chongming Island his whole life, says he has witnessed enormous change in the island over the past decade.

"The environment used to be dirty and disorderly, but the villages now have all been renovated. The streets are also cleaner," says the 63-year-old.

"The government has encouraged us to plant flowers in our homes for next year's expo, and I'm happy to do so. As a resident of Chongming, we are the hosts and should build a better environment to welcome the guests."

Contact the writer at xingyi@chinadaily.com.cn

Gu Yuhan contributed to the story.