The Heze Peony International Communication Forum is held in Heze, Shandong Province, on April 9 (CICG) 

Peonies, with eye-catching bright colors and elegant shapes, are widely considered to be China’s national flower. Heze, a city in the southwest of Shandong Province, is seeking to develop the flowers into its cultural ambassadors for international communication. With over 1,500 years of history in peony cultivation, the city is dubbed the “Peony Capital of China.” 

With warm spring sunlight bringing peonies into full bloom, Heze is bustling with activity. The Heze Peony International Communication Forum was held in the city on April 9, and was attended by around 300 officials and scholars from home and abroad. It was hosted by the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and China International Communications Group (CICG). During the forum, the Cooperation Base of Innovation on Cultural Communication was formally established to promote international communication of peony culture. 

CICG Vice President Lu Cairong delivers a speech via video link at the forum (CICG)  

CICG Vice President Lu Cairong told the forum via video link that peonies are popular among Chinese people for representing prosperity and romance, which have become labels of Chinese culture in international communication. In recent years, the CICG has introduced Chinese peonies to the world, publishing several books on the flowers. To further promote the peony culture overseas, it will turn to new technologies and platforms, and boost related industrial development and international cultural exchange.  

Xi Yanchun, Director of Information Office of Shandong Provincial Government, addresses the forum (CICG) 

“Peonies carry the common aspirations of people from different countries for prosperity. Through the flowers, China has expanded cultural exchanges with many countries,” Xi Yanchun, Director of Information Office of Shandong Provincial Government told the forum. 

Zhang Lun, Secretary of Heze Municipal Party Committee, delivers a speech at the forum (CICG)  

Zhang Lun, Secretary of Heze Municipal Party Committee, said at the forum that peony culture echoes the trend of global peace and development. In recent years, Heze’s peony paintings have been showcased at the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Qingdao, Shandong and the China International Import Expo held in Shanghai annually since 2018, presenting the peony culture to the world.  

A painter paints peonies at a calligraphy and painting institute in Juye County, Heze of Shandong Province, on April 9 (ZHANG WEI) 

Peonies are a common theme in Chinese art and culture. Heze has been promoting fine brush peony painting, one of the city’s distinctive local arts, in recent years. This style of ink painting features strokes that are delicate and refined. About 80 percent of the hand-painted fine brush peony paintings sold in China’s major art galleries are from Juye County in Heze. Painting and calligraphy institutes in the county have provided training for local farmers for free. According to the county-level government, there are now around 9,000 farmer painters in Juye, with some top ones each earning an annual income of up to 100,000 yuan ($14,517). 

Julio Herráiz España, Deputy Head of Embassy of Spain in China (Minister Counsellor) addresses the forum (CICG)  

Heze is an exemplary case as it has made good use of its peony resources through peony-themed art as well as through commercial and industrial applications of peonies as a means to reach out to the world, Julio Herráiz España, Deputy Head of Embassy of Spain in China (Minister Counsellor), told the forum. 

Today, Heze is considered to be the world’s largest base for peony cultivation, research, processing, export and ornamental display. It is home to over 1,200 varieties of the flowers.  

Caozhou Peony Garden in Heze, Shandong Province, on April 7 (COURTESY PHOTO)  

The city has hosted activities to present its peony flowers to the world, including the 32nd Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, which kicked off on April 7, will last until the end of May, and has attracted a great many visitors to local peony gardens. 

Heze was also the main venue of the 2023 World Peony Conference, convened on April 8-10. The event was also held in Boskoop, a town in the province of South Holland, the Netherlands, one of the destination countries of Heze’s fresh-cut peonies.  

Peony cosmetics of a peony company in Heze, Shandong Province, on April 8 (LI XIAOYANG)  

In addition to developing tourism and selling fresh flowers, Heze has also prospered through peony-related products, such as seed oil, tea, cosmetics and health foods. Its peony products have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions, including the United States, France and Japan. 

As of the end of 2022, the number of companies producing peony products in Heze had exceeded 120, bringing an annual total output of around 10.2 billion yuan ($1.48 billion), the provincial government said. 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson  

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