Peony cultivation in Heze has a history of nearly a thousand years. In the history of peony development in China, it flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties and dominated the industry for more than 500 years. It 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, Mao Garden created in the Ming Dynasty, and Tie Garden at that time. Li Zhai Garden, Dachunjia Garden, Junmen Garden, etc.
After the liberation, it was rebuilt. In 1959, Zhao Lou, Li Ji and He Lou established peony gardens respectively, which were connected together to form a peony production and viewing center. In 1982, the government allocated special funds for unified planning and rearrangement, integrating the three peony gardens into one, and building two archway gate towers imitating Ming Dynasty architectural styles in the south and north, more than ten meters high. The eaves are angled, carved and painted, and resplendent. It is both open and majestic, yet simple and elegant. Under the colorful pattern of "Phoenix Playing Peonies" in the middle of the gate, hangs a shining gilt horizontal plaque, which reads "Caozhou Peony Garden" and was inscribed by the famous calligrapher Shu Tong. There are three viewing areas and several viewing spots in the garden. Each area is organized into a system, forming a garden within a garden. "Guanhua Tower" and "Tianxiang Pavilion" are the main buildings in the garden. They are novel and unique, simple and elegant. You can have a panoramic view of the garden when you climb up to the tower. Reconstruction began in 2002. Caozhou Peony Garden is currently the largest peony garden with the most varieties in the world. Inside the south gate is the west viewing area, which is based on the original Zhaolou Garden. In addition to large areas of peonies, there are also birds, animals, figures and archways woven with pines and cypresses; there is a modern greenhouse, and the Guanhua Building, a Ming Dynasty-style building used for accommodation, accommodation and various exhibitions. A special viewing area for purple peonies and white peonies has been opened in the garden. The statues of two flower fairies, Gejin and Yuban, are draped in morning glow and wrapped in red makeup, allowing people to see the two precious peonies, Gejin and Yuban. You can see the statue of the Peony Fairy. Inside the north gate is the north viewing area, which is based on the original Li Ji's garden. In addition to a large area of ??peonies and peonies, there is also a modern large-scale greenhouse and a Chinese garden-style courtyard. In the center of the garden, there is a flower pavilion shaded by weeping willows, where visitors can take a rest and enjoy the scenery in the garden.
On April 9, 2010, the Caozhou Peony Garden upgrade and renovation project was completed and the opening ceremony was held. Caozhou Peony Garden has successfully achieved its magnificent turn. After nine months of improvement and renovation, the peony garden area has expanded from 700 acres to 1,600 acres, with a total number of peonies reaching 800,000, more than 1,000 varieties, and a planting area of ??more than 600 acres. The number of attractions in the park has increased from 4 to 39. 12 new scenic spots have been built, including Peony Legend, Twelve Flower Gods, Peony Terrace, World National Garden, and Guofengyuan. At the same time, a domestically leading peony greenhouse with fully automatic temperature and humidity control has been built, allowing domestic and foreign guests to enjoy it 365 days a day. You can see peonies in full bloom. Since the project started in mid-July 2010, 400,000 cubic meters of earth have been transported, more than 200,000 new peonies have been planted, more than 34,700 trees and shrubs of various types have been planted, more than 290,000 square meters of ground cover plants have been planted, and paving in the garden has been completed. The roads are 16,000 meters and 60,000 square meters, more than 20,000 meters of water supply and drainage pipes have been laid, and 6,000 meters of drainage ditches have been built. At the same time, projects such as the restoration of the National Flower Soul Sculpture, the renovation of the National Flower Gate, and the maintenance of ancient buildings have been completed. This time the Peony Garden upgrade and demolition involves 5 administrative villages, 143 residential houses, 438 households' land, 25,229.65 square meters of demolished houses, 101 greenhouses, 12 factories and enterprises, and 1 village has been relocated as a whole.
The Heze Municipal People's Government has accelerated the modernization of the peony garden and invested hundreds of millions of yuan to build a modern greenhouse and a Chinese garden-style courtyard in the peony garden. The peonies blooming in the greenhouse are shipped to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau and other places for exhibition every year on the eve of the Spring Festival.
In March 1992, Heze City successfully held the first International Peony Fair, which welcomed many tourists from home and abroad. As of April 16, 2012, it has been successfully held for the 21st time, and has received a total of more than 36 million Chinese and foreign tourists. More than 570 leaders of the central and national ministries and commissions have visited Heze.