Ji Ke sits in his Beijing apartment filled with tropical plants on April 19. Growing indoor tropical plants has become a new trend among some young people. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ji sits among his plants drinking tea. He lives in a rented apartment and has begun growing indoor plants since 2019. So far, he has raised more than 100 plants in the 55-square-meter apartment. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Ji’s apartment at night. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Photojournalist Yin Xiyuan holds his cats inside his apartment in an old Beijing alley, or “hutong,” on April 22. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Yin has set up a 2-square-meter space in his 28-square-meter apartment to raise plants. Influenced by his high school classmate Ji, Yin began growing indoor tropical plants after the Covid-19 pandemic began. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Yin displays alocasia black velvet seeds he found when repotting his plants. He says his plants offer him a connection to nature while Covid restrictions made it hard to move around. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Yin places the water tank for his turtle among his plants as it can help to humidify the area. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Liu Long and his wife take a photo with their dog in their living room in Beijing on Sept. 25. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Liu uses a photometer to monitor the light intensity on the surface of a plant. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Zhao Jie inspects a monstera plant in her apartment in Beijing on Sept. 26. As a doctor, Zhao is learning to treat plant diseases as she enjoys turning a suffering plant into a thriving one. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Tropical plants Zhao has placed in her bathroom. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Qi’s apartment in Beijing’s Shunyi district has eight cats and hundreds of plants. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Unlike others, Qi grows many of his tropical plants in his yard. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Qi moves a plant to his yard. He learned to garden at an early age under the influence of his family. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Lü Tianwei, the owner of a botanics store, displays a pot of anthurium pterodactyl variegated to his customers in Beijing on Sept. 25. This rare plant can sell for up to 40,000 yuan ($5,560). Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin

Lü chats with customers during a sweepstake activity in his store. He has added more than 1,000 customers on WeChat, mostly millenial women. Photo: Ding Gang/Caixin