China selects peony as national flower

The association said China's national flower should meet four criteria for consideration: it should originate in China and be ubiquitous in many regions, it should be beautiful in shape and color to represent Chinese culture and personality, it should have profound historical grounding and be widely known to the public and it should be used in many fields in ways that benefit the public.

China is among the few countries without an official national flower.

Many netizens said they were surprised to discover it did not have one, with some saying they always assumed it was the peony.