Success takes root in peony capital

Legend says the bloom, reviled by empress, found new life in Henan province; now it brings prosperity 

It's said that Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the only empress in China's history, asked all flowers to blossom in winter in Chang'an, today's Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

All the flowers did, except for the peonies.

So the peonies were sent to Luoyang, Henan province, as punishment. They have rooted and sprouted in this city ever since.

In the past four decades since reform and opening-up began, the peony has become an ambassador linking the city to the world and has witnessed all the city's cultural and economic growth.

In 1983, the first edition of the Luoyang Peony Fair was held in Wangcheng Park, with huge public enthusiasm. More than 200,000 tickets were sold before the opening ceremony.

The peony fair has been held annually ever since. In 1991, the fair's name was changed to Henan Luoyang Peony Fair, and in 2008 it was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage－one of the youngest festivals on the list. Two years later, it was upgraded to the Peony Culture Festival of Luoyang China.

Wang Ruogu, deputy director of the Luoyang exhibition office, said the scale of the festival has grown from the first edition's 200 species and 20,000 individual plants into last year's 800 species and 130,000 plants.

Popular event

This year's festival, held from April 5 to May 5, attracted more than 26 million tourists and brought in total revenue of 24 billion yuan ($3.5 billion).

"The hotels are all full during the festival, and some tourists have to stay in Zhengzhou or other nearby cities," Wang said. "For us, the peony festival is not only a tourist event, but also a chance to boost economic growth."

Activities such as the 2018 International Ancient Capitals Forum and Luoyang International Robot & Intelligent Equipment Expo were held during this year's festival, which attracted a total investment of 90.4 billion yuan.

Located in Laocheng district, the first phase of Luoyi city officially opened during this year's peony festival.

Reflecting more than 800 years of history, the reconstructed city is planned to cover 91 hectares at a cost of 12.7 billion yuan.

Yang Shaochun, secretary of the CPC Luoyang Laocheng District Committee, says Luoyi is combining cultural tourism and peony-related industries to attract more visitors and revenue.

"People flooded into this scenic area to see the peonies in April. We don't charge an entrance fee, but we swipe their ID cards to control the number to avoid overcrowding," Yang said.

"We are cooperating with travel agencies, as they can bring tourists here to see the peonies during the day and eat and shop at night," Yang said. "We are also bringing in peony-related products, such as peony porcelain, peony tea and peony oil."