The 30th Luoyang Peony Festival is to be held in Luoyang City in central China's Henan Province from April 10 to May 10, 2012. Boasting the best peonies in the country and a well-renowned ancient city, Luoyang is sure to attract tourists from home and abroad. Each year from mid-April to mid-May, the peonies are in full bloom, generally reaching their peak during the period from April 15th to 25th.
As a Chinese saying goes, "The peony of Luoyang is most beautiful under heaven". As the symbol flower of Luoyang, peony is praised as "queen of flowers with ethereal color and celestial fragrance." Of the 500,000 peony shrubs in over 350 strains that are cultivated in Luoyang, the yaohuang (Yaos yellow peony) and weizi (Weis purple peony) are the "king"and "queen"of all peonies.
The first Luoyang Peony Festival was held in 1983. Since then, the event was made into an annual festival for appreciating the flowers and beautiful scenery. During that time, there will be many full-length variety shows, for example, flower watching, lantern show, exhibitions of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting and photography, symposiums, and business talks.