MA HUI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Leveraging its peony culture and tourism resources, Heze in Shandong province has in recent years promoted its role as a major peony cultivation base in China and an attractive destination for global tourists through a range of international activities.

Those efforts will be highlighted at the 2026 Heze Peony International Communication Forum, which opens Saturday. Apart from the opening ceremony and keynote speeches, the forum will be supplemented by Heze industry matchmaking events, a cultural communication academic seminar themed around artificial intelligence, cultural exhibitions, and food tasting events, as well as the unveiling ceremony of a Nepal rhododendron garden and a Bulgaria rose garden. According to the city's publicity department, Heze is working to bring peonies to the world through "small yet exquisite" activities.

An international icon

In December 2025, a new Heze peony garden was established in Osan, South Korea. During the transplantation of these peonies, there were two peony culture exhibitions held in Osan simultaneously, which displayed more than 100 peony-themed cultural and creative products, including peony porcelain, wheat straw paintings, calligraphy and paintings, attracting a large number of Osan residents to visit.

In October of the same year, a Heze peony ornamental garden was established at the embassy of Vietnam in Beijing. In the same month, a meticulous peony painting scroll titled Phoenix Among Peonies was presented at the 2025 Global Summit of Women. In December, a series of themed events, including a global touring exhibition of meticulous peony paintings, were held in Malaysia.

Focusing on the value of peony culture, Heze has promoted the transition of the peony from a traditional Chinese symbol into an internationally recognized icon.

In April 2025, the third Heze Peony International Communication Forum was held in the city, bringing together more than 300 participants, including foreign envoys to China, to discuss communication strategies.

Collaborating with overseas institutions such as Confucius Institutes, Heze has organized activities in countries including Russia and held more than 40 peony-themed events throughout 2025.

The city has also worked with Chinese media to produce audiovisual works telling peony stories to global audiences. National Beauty, the first humanistic-focused documentary about peonies from an international perspective, received an award at the Chinese Documentary Festival.

Adhering to a global communication strategy, Heze has continued to innovate methods and channels, building a multidimensional international communication system.

By 2025, the city had held five sessions of the Heze Peony Series Awards Selection. Collecting more than 120,000 works across art, photography and other categories, the activity has injected contemporary aesthetics and global appeal into peony culture.

In 2024, the publicity department of Heze launched the Peony Going Global initiative. The Bulgarian peony garden construction project is one of its key programs. It involved the planting of 700 Heze peony plants in Bulgaria, serving as ambassadors witnessing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria.

Tsoncho Ganev, vice-president of the Bulgarian National Assembly, said: "The peony symbolizes peace, honor, love and prosperity, bringing good wishes for Bulgaria's development and prosperity." He expressed hope that this garden will become a symbol of harmony and a new beginning, and usher the friendly relations between the two countries into a new development stage.

Hristina Yancheva, regional governor of the Plovdiv Region, said the peony is a symbol of romance and love in traditional Bulgarian culture. With the establishment of this peony garden, the relations between the two sides will grow even closer. The peony will serve as a cultural ambassador, promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries and strengthening dialogue and cooperation at the subnational level.

Efforts have also been made to cultivate cultural brands such as Juye meticulous peony paintings and hanfu, traditional Chinese clothing produced in Caoxian county, to accelerate the development of a global sales and exhibition network. These products have entered markets in more than 100 countries and regions.

Starting in early April, the monthlong 2026 Heze Peony Festival will be held under the theme "let the world fall in love with Heze's peonies". The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, with branch venues set up in Kyrgyzstan and at the National Art Museum of China. Local officials said these efforts will enhance the reputation and influence of Heze peonies both at home and abroad.

Zhang Lun, Party secretary of Heze, said: "Throughout history, the peony has served as an important medium for cultural exchange. Along the Silk Road, it was introduced to more than 30 countries and regions, becoming a symbol through which the world understands China. In recent years, Heze has planned and launched the Peony Going Global initiative. We set up overseas subvenues for the Heze Peony Festival in the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea and overseas peony gardens in Bulgaria, Serbia, Thailand and other countries, making the 'peony invitation' widely popular. Peony culture overseas communication stations have also been set up in Malaysia, Romania, Brazil and elsewhere, with peony-themed cultural exhibitions featuring integration of aesthetics and culture staged frequently. Heze's meticulous peony paintings made a splendid appearance on the big screens of Times Square in New York. Products such as peony seed oil and peony stamen tea are exported to more than 30 countries and regions. Heze peony has truly become a 'beautiful envoy' for exchanges among worldwide civilizations."

Land of plenty

As a traditional flower in China, the peony symbolizes happiness in daily life and prosperity for the nation. It is also one of the most distinctive symbols of Heze.

Renowned for their large size, elegant forms, vivid colors and rich fragrance, Heze peonies include nine color series, 10 flower types and 1,308 varieties, with more than 10 ornamental gardens. Heze is also one of the world's largest bases for peony breeding, processing and export.

Beyond the peony flower, Heze, known as Caozhou in ancient times, has been historically serving as a political, economic and cultural center of China's Central Plains.

Nowadays, it is home to several national geographical indication products, including Caoxian asparagus, Shanxian lamb soup, Dongming watermelon, Chengwu garlic, Juancheng Lu brocade and Chenji Chinese yam.

In recent years, Caoxian county in Heze has experienced a consumer boom fueled by the popularity of traditional hanfu attire.

During the Spring Festival holiday in February, original horse-face skirts from Caoxian were showcased at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. As featured exhibits and souvenirs, this treasure of traditional Chinese clothing shone with oriental splendor on the international stage.

"The Ming-style hanfu attire features a dignified and upright design, while the patterns on 'cloud shoulders' and horse-face skirts embody simple wishes for peace, security, and wealth and prosperity in a family," said Hu Chunqing, head of a local hanfu association.

This profound history resonates deeply with the emotional needs of young people: seeking cultural identity amid the wave of traditional Chinese aesthetics and finding a sense of cultural belonging in traditional patterns, Hu said.

In 2025, the sales volume of hanfu from Caoxian county exceeded 13 billion yuan ($1.9 billion), with 2,822 hanfu-related enterprises and nearly 100,000 employees. According to official data, one out of every two hanfu items sold nationwide comes from here. The entire process from design draft to finished product delivery can be completed within a 5-kilometer radius.

Thanks to the efforts in boosting local culture and facilitating industrial upgrades, in recent years, Heze has been recognized with titles such as a national civilized city, an excellent tourist city in China, a national garden city and a national e-commerce demonstration city. In 2025, the city's GDP approached 500 billion yuan, while general public budget revenue reached 33.34 billion yuan.