The Dutch consulate general in Shanghai donated over 7,000 tulip seeds yesterday to the city’s urban planning exhibition hall to decorate the city's communities and schools.

The 7,500 tulip seeds, with blossoms to be in red or orange to symbolize the two nations, will firstly be presented to downtown campuses and old communities which are undergoing minor renovations to improve the living environment, according to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center.

"We have a saying in Netherlands that literally means 'say it with flowers,' and these tulips are a message of friendship," said Anneke Adema, Consul General of the Netherlands in Shanghai.