Dubbed the "Peony Capital of China" for its role as a key base for peony production, research, exports, and sightseeing, Heze, Shandong province held a news conference on April 3 to discuss its preparations for the upcoming World Peony Conference and the 32nd Heze International Peony Cultural Tourism Festival, which will run from April 8 to 10.

Heze has a long history of peony flowers. It is a cradle for wildlife species and horticultural species, as well as home to a whole industrial chain of the peony industry.

Heze peonies come in 10 types of colors and 1,280 varieties, with its number of newly cultivated varieties accounting for 80 percent of the total in China.

Based on its resource endowment and industrial foundation, the local government has launched a package of favorable policies to accelerate the planting, deep processing, and brand image of Heze peonies, as well as to boost the integrated development of the industry, one of the top 10 characteristic sectors in Shandong.