Numerous gardens to visit during Heze peony festival

In a city awash with peony flowers, visitors will be spoilt for choice with the variety of peony gardens to explore in the "peony capital" Heze, east China's Shandong Province.

With peonies in the city's gardens in full bloom now, Heze makes for a fun, colorful trip. In particular, the ongoing 33rd Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival has been drawing visitors to Heze, once called Caozhou in ancient times.

To get a real appreciation of the jaw-dropping blossoms, visit the Caozhou Peony Garden. It is a merge of several ancient gardens built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Covering an area of more than 133 hectares and featuring more than 1,237 peony varieties, the garden is known as one of the largest peony planting areas and for having the largest variety of peonies in the world. Now, it has developed into an urban peony garden where eating, living, shopping and other entertainment are also available.

Less than 3 kilometers away from the Caozhou Peony Garden lies the Caozhou Baihua Garden, which was also built in the Ming Dynasty. Many famous and precious kinds of peonies can be found in the garden, earning it the nickname "Peony Treasure Garden." There are more than 500 peony trees there, all with an age of over 100 years.

Located right next to the Caozhou Baihua Garden, about eight-minute walk, is the Gujin Peony Garden. It has a history of over 500 years. It is not large but boasts a variety of peonies too. Besides peonies, there are many flowers and trees, such as winter jasmine, lilac shrubs, Chinese roses, crabapple trees and more.

This year, the peony festival will last till May 15. In addition to these main gardens, the city has more spots to explore during the flowering season. Local authorities have also integrated peony with national chic, science and technology and other trendy elements, such as hanfu and forms of intangible cultural heritage, to enhance visitors' city walks and leisure activities.