Luoyang Peony Fair 2011

Celebrated: Apr. 1 to May. 10
Location: Luoyang
Category: Events And Expos

Peony is the city flower of Luoyang city. There has always been the custom of holding Peony Fair in Luoyang city. The Peony Fair is held between the April 15 and May 8 when the Peony is in full bloom. The Peony Fair makes good use of the unique flower resources. It can not only enrich people’s leisure time but also strengthen the economical, technological, and cultural exchanges between the Luoyang city with foreign countries

The ostensible goal of the annual Luoyang Peony Festival is to celebrate the beauty and charm of the peony, a flowering shrub belonging to the genus Paeonia, the only genus, in fact, within the flowering plant family, Paeoniaceae. The broader goal with the festival is to promote the widespread cultivation of this beautiful plant, and, indirectly, to promote cultural exchange among peoples the world over, through a shared interest.

The venue of the annual Luoyang Peony Festival is Luoyang National Peony Garden, located in the town of Mongshan on the outskirts of Luoyang, and situated across the street, as it were, from Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum, the "street" in question being the highway that leads from the city of Luoyang proper to Luoyang Airport.

Luoyang National Peony Garden covers an area of roughly 1/3 sq km (1/8 sq mi), an area which is planted with over 400 peony varieties, many of which are native to countries beyond China's borders, a deliberate aim of the garden and the festival, given Luoyang International Peony Garden's broader objective. Each year from mid-April to mid-May, the peonies in the garden in Mongshan Town are in full bloom, generally reaching their peak during the period April 15th-25th, which is the date set for the annual festival. From mid-April to mid-May each year, the garden is awash with colorful flowers – mostly reds mixed with whites, yellows and purples – set against a background of thick, vibrant, dark green leaves, like a myriad of precious stones set in bright, shiny rings.

The Luoyang Peony Festival is very popular among Chinese tourists and among peony enthusiasts the world over, but do stay away from Luoyang during the festival unless the aim of your visit to the city is expressly to see the peonies, for with hotel rooms filling up fast, the prices rise accordingly.