Heze forum showcases peony culture

HEZE, China, April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

Heze, known as the "Peony Capital of China", was put on the global stage as experts and envoys from home and abroad gathered in the city and shared their ideas of how the peony helps international exchanges.

The Heze Peony International Communication Forum, which was recently held in Heze, a prefecture-level city in East China's Shandong province, provided a platform for bolstering international communications about peony culture and boosting cultural exchanges and mutual learning. 

"Flowers are very important in every culture and they represent love, friendship and happiness," Irit Ben Abba, Israeli Ambassador to China, said in a video during the opening ceremony of the forum. She hoped that Heze peonies could become a bridge to spread love and friendship around the world and to promote Shandong as a global destination.

The peony culture has become an important part of China's outstanding traditional culture, according to Zhang Lun, Party chief of Heze. "The flower has a meaning of wealth, auspiciousness and prosperity," he said. "In recent years, Heze peonies have made appearances on major diplomatic occasions and also served as a special symbol to promote friendship exchanges between China and other countries."

"Heze sets an example of how a city can make use of its treasure, like the peony culture, to connect with the world," said Julio Herraiz Espana, deputy head of the Spanish Embassy in China, while on the sidelines at the forum. The city has taken full advantage of its peony culture, not only through the beauty, the poetry and art, but also through the commercial and industrial applications, he added.

Heze has more than 1,500 years of peony flower cultivation and the city currently has a peony planting area of about 26,667 hectares, and 1,280 varieties of peonies.

The peony business in Heze has evolved from sightseeing to manufacturing a variety of high-value peony-related products, such as seed oil, tea, cosmetics and healthy food. Its peony-related products have been exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the world.

Peony gardens will be constructed overseas to enhance the inclusive coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, according to an initiative released at the peony forum.