One of China’s most anticipated annual celebrations of floral heritage and agricultural innovation, the 2026 World Peony Conference alongside the 35th Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, officially launched on Friday in Heze, a northeastern Chinese city in Shandong province long known as China’s peony capital.
As spring settles over the region, hectares of peony plants are bursting into full bloom across the city, drawing flocks of tourists, botanists, and industry stakeholders to iconic sites such as Caozhou Peony Garden, where vivid carpets of pink, white, crimson, yellow and gold blossoms have become a global draw for nature and culture lovers.
Decades of dedicated cultivation and research have positioned Heze as an unrivaled national hub for peony development. Today, the city grows an extraordinary 1,308 distinct peony varieties, spanning nine official color groups and 10 unique flower forms. This extensive collection not only reflects the region’s deep historical roots in peony cultivation dating back more than 1,400 years, but also cements its reputation as China’s leading center for peony production, genetic innovation, and cultural preservation.
The dual event is designed to shine a global spotlight on Heze’s unique peony heritage, while creating new opportunities for cross-border cultural exchange, agricultural trade, and tourism growth. Organizers note that the conference and festival will showcase how Heze has transformed its traditional floral heritage into a thriving, multi-billion-dollar industry that spans cut flower production, seed oil extraction, traditional Chinese medicine, cosmetics, and cultural tourism, supporting livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of local residents.
Visitors attending the event can explore sprawling garden displays, attend academic seminars on peony breeding and sustainable cultivation, experience local folk arts centered on peony culture, and sample regional cuisines that feature peony as a core ingredient. For industry leaders, the event offers a platform to forge new partnerships, showcase cutting-edge products, and map out future directions for global peony industry development.