Step aside, roses—Heze City in Shandong Province is proving peonies are the new rockstars of the botanical world! With the launch of the 2025 World Peony Conference and the 34th Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, this Chinese city has officially cemented its title as the global peony capital.
From Ancient Symbol to Global Sensation
Boasting 1,308 varieties across a rainbow of nine color systems and 10 flower types, Heze’s peonies are like nature’s own TikTok filters—wildly creative and impossible to ignore. Once treasured in Chinese gardens during the Tang Dynasty, these blooms now dazzle major Chinese cities and over 30 countries and regions worldwide, from New York skyscrapers to Berlin flower shops.
Flower Diplomacy in Full Bloom
How did a provincial flower become China’s unofficial cultural ambassador? By merging ancient horticultural wisdom with modern global appeal. Experts say the peony’s journey mirrors China’s soft power strategy: authentic, beautiful, and impossible to resist.
1,308+ unique peony varieties
10 distinctive flower types (including fan-shaped and spherical)
NewspaperAmigo – Your Global News Buddy 
With the launch of the 2025 World Peony Conference and the 34th Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, this Chinese city has officially cemented its title as the global peony capital.
Once treasured in Chinese gardens during the Tang Dynasty, these blooms now dazzle major Chinese cities and over 30 countries and regions worldwide, from New York skyscrapers to Berlin flower shops.
Experts say the peony’s journey mirrors China’s soft power strategy: authentic, beautiful, and impossible to resist.
