Shandong's Heze holds international peony forum

The Heze Peony International Communication Forum was held in Heze, Shandong province, on Sunday, aiming to strengthen the international communication of peony culture and building a platform to boost cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

Activities including one theme forum, an exhibition, keynote speeches and a round table discussion were held during the forum. A Cooperation Base of Innovation on Cultural Communication, which also serves as the Center for International Communication of Peony Culture, was unveiled.

Peony gardens will be constructed overseas to enhance the inclusive coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, according to information from the forum.

Javier Garcia from Spain who teaches at the Renmin University of China said at the forum that the peony symbolizes beauty, love, affection and good fortune which is certainly a good representative of Chinese culture, and everybody can understand its language and its powerful communication power.

Known as the "Peony Capital of China", Heze currently has a peony planting area of about 26,667 hectares, with 1,280 varieties.

The peony business in Heze has evolved from sightseeing to manufacturing a variety of high-value peony-related products, such as seed oil, tea, cosmetics, and healthy food.

Statistics show Heze has developed into the country's largest base for peony cultivation, research, sales, and exports, with its peony-related products exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the world.