In that vein people post photos of them on social networks, decorate their offices and homes with pots of them here and there and share or give them out as gifts for friends and families, and enthusiasts pay hundreds to thousands of yuan for a rare variety.

It was in this environment that Jin stepped into the world of the succulents. Unlike many vegetable and flower greenhouses, hers is a garden with a little pond in the middle, surrounded by succulents. The floor is paved with rectangular bricks. Graffiti of cherry blossom and balloons are on the wall and if you look closely you will see a pair of turtles ambling about.

But of course the real stars of this non-television show are the thousands of succulent plants in myriad varieties that pack the 600-square-meter greenhouse.