The peony of Luoyang is the most beautiful under heaven", as the saying goes. The Peony, the emblem flower of Luoyang, is lauded as "Queen of flowers, with ethereal colour and celestial fragrance". Since the Tang Dynasty no Chinese city has been able to rival Luoyang in growing peonies boasting nearly 10 million peony trees with more than 700 species - all thanks to improvements in technology of peony cultivation.

In China, the peony symbolizes wealth and nobleness due to its large flowers. The first Luoyang Peony Festival took place in April 1983 and since then it has become a major annual event featuring flowers, lanterns, exhibitions of traditional Chinese calligraphy, painting and photography. Peonies and Plum blossoms are the traditional floral symbols of China. In 1903, the Qing Dynasty declared the Peony as the national flower of China.

Peonies bloom either as early, mid or late season and the bloom time is not long, so you have to be here about mid April so that you can see the end of the early season, the mid in bloom and the late just starting to come.

Travel Tips:
Time: Early April to late April every year
City: Luoyang, Henan Provice, Center of China
Best places to enjoy the Peonies: Guose Peony Garden; Wangcheng Park