What is a "private name"? Heze's peonies are not famous enough because the government's publicity is not strong enough. How can Luoyang have the money to do publicity? Heze is the western part of Shandong! But the peonies in Luoyang were transplanted from Heze.
In 2000, Heze was named the "Hometown of Chinese Peonies" by the China Flower Association. In 2006, Heze was named "China's Peony City". Shu Tong, the famous calligrapher and honorary chairman of the my country Calligraphy Association, once wrote the inscription "Caozhou Peony is the Best in the World" for Heze Peony. Mr. Pu Jie also once left a calligraphy treasure for Heze peony that was "the most fragrant in the world". Heze Peony has also been made into TV shows and movies by the press. The news documentary "Taishan North and South" praised: "Heze's peonies are the best in the world, and the peonies in the world come from Heze."
In recent years, Heze supplies hundreds of thousands of peonies from other places every year, with more than 200 varieties. In addition to being sold to major and medium-sized cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Luoyang, Xi'an, and Hong Kong and Macao, it is also exported to more than a dozen countries and regions such as Japan, North Korea, the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Heze, known as Caozhou in ancient times, is known as a "majestic and powerful county" and "a metropolis".
Heze City has a long history of peony cultivation and was famous in the Ming Dynasty. In his "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", Pu Songling said that "Caozhou's peonies are the best in Qilu", and he also wrote the Ge Jinyu version of the mythical story. Later, it was also said that "Heze's peonies are the best in the world".
It is difficult to find out when peony cultivation in Heze began. It was recorded as early as the Southern Song Dynasty that by the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, cultivation had flourished. In the Qing Dynasty, it became even more prosperous, with a cultivation area of ??1,000 acres. Several peony gardens were built, especially the "Sangli Garden", "Ningxiang Garden" and "Qiyuan" are the most famous. Heze Peony takes the lead in the history of peony development in China. 500 Over the past few years, the peony cultivation area in Heze has now reached more than 50,000 acres. "Cao Nan Peony Book" records: "By the Ming Dynasty, Cao Nan's peonies were the best in the world." There was a saying in the Qing Dynasty that "Heze's peonies were the best in the world".
Heze Peony Garden was developed on the basis of more than a dozen peony gardens of different styles and sizes since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Zhao's Garden and Sangli Garden during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, which were founded in the Ming Dynasty. Mao Garden, as well as Tiejizhai Garden, Dachunjia Garden, Junmen Garden, etc. at that time. The county annals at that time recorded: "Every mid-spring, the flowers bloom, and they go out of the city to the east, connecting roads and roads, and they are as beautiful as steaming clouds."
During the Spring Festival of 1978, Heze peonies were invited to display 2,000 peonies in Macau, with an audience of 400,000. It was called "the first peony event in four hundred years" by local public opinion circles. During the Spring Festival of 1979, Heze peonies were sold to Hong Kong, causing a sensation in the entire Hong Kong flower market. In March 1985, potted Heze peonies, which opened one month in advance, were displayed at the "Caozhou Peony Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition" in Beijing. People from the capital and people from all walks of life rushed to watch them. In April 1987, at the first national flower expo, Heze peonies won three scientific and technological progress awards for new varieties, research on field flowering technology, and one high-quality exhibit award, ranking first among peonies. In March 1988, at the Hong Kong Flower Exhibition, Heze Peony won the championship award of the "Brilliant Red Peony Exhibition Award". Heze peony cut flowers won the award of excellence at the 5th Hong Kong Flower, Bird, Insect and Fish Exhibition in 1991. In 1992, it won the silver medal at the French International Flower Expo. At the 1997 Shanghai Flower Expo, Heze Peony once again won the grand prize.
At the 1999 Kunming World Horticultural Exposition, Heze Peony became the biggest winner at the Expo. At this exhibition, Heze Peony won two world awards and 79 gold, silver and bronze awards. The number of awards accounted for 73.2% of the total number of awards. Among the 111 individual peony awards, Heze Peony won 81, including Three grand prizes, one each for Heze's "Caozhou Peony Garden" and "Qiaozihong" peonies; 12 gold medals, 10 for Heze's peonies "Black Oiran" and "Caozhou Red"; 36 silver medals for Heze's peony "Da Hu" "Red" and "Lantian Jade" won 26 medals; 60 bronze medals, and Heze Peony "Hua Erqiao" and "Huang Huakui" won 43 medals. The expert judges unanimously praised: "Heze peony flowers are large, colorful and full of flowers. They are worthy of being a national beauty and fragrant."
It was later confirmed that Heze Peony also ranked first among the big winners. This world-famous expo established Heze peony’s world dominance in one fell swoop, and “Heze peony is the best in the world” has become an indisputable fact.