Luoyang is known as the birthplace of peony. Peony is regarded as the city flower in Luoyang. Every year, Luoyang will host the Peony Festival featuring colorful blossom of a plethora of peony varieties and various folk performances. Officially, this festival will open in early April, and continue until early May, and the best time for enjoying peonies is April 13th to April 25th. During the festival, the whole city becomes a sea of blossom and the air is scented with peony.
Luoyang Peony Festival started in 1983. Up to now, the festival has been successfully held for 36 years until 2018, and has been listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The festival has become an important attraction drawing millions of tourists and peony lovers every year, which will definitely offer you a more memorable experience.
From early April to mid-May, the various sorts of peonies are in full and glorious scented bloom waiting for the tourists. The main venue for enjoying the peony is the Luoyang National Peony Garden. Luoyang National Peony Garden was built in 2001, and it covers an area of 47 hectares. It is the largest the peony garden in China. It stands out from other gardens for the various sorts, long florescence and more gorgeous flowers. China National Flower Garden cultivates about 500,000 peonies in 9 colors as well as a further 2,000,000 plants of 1,000 different species. Among them, a huge peony called “Flower Goddess” with an age of100 years and a height of 2 meters (7 feet) gains public attention.
Visitors can admire peonies, pavilions, lakes, and hills as well as distinctive buildings there. The history of Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907), traditional royal garden art as well as peony views combine beautifully in China National Flower Garden. Also, tourists are expected to admire many other folk activities like lantern show and temple fair of folk custom staged in the gardens.
Luoyang is located in the west of Henan Province. It is in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and encircled by mountains and plains. It is the cradle of Chinese civilization, as it was the capital city of 13 ancient dynasties from Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC). Luoyang has the world heritage site - Longmen Grottoes and it is also near to the famous Shaoling Temple. Luoyang is also famed as the 'Poets Capital', because poets and literates of ancient times often gathered there and left great works.