International communication forum held in E. China's Shandong Heze to promote peony culture, exchanges

Photo shows the launching ceremony of the peony garden construction project in Bulgaria during the 2024 Heze Peony International Communication Forum held in Heze, east China's Shandong Province on April 12, 2024. (By Heze Daily)

BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Heze Peony International Communication Forum was held in Heze, east China's Shandong Province on April 12, aiming to promote peony culture and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world.

The event, themed "National Beauty Nourished by the Yellow River, Heavenly Fragrance Shared by the World", was co-hosted by Heze government authority and the cultural communication center of China International Communications Group.

During the forum, a peony-featured documentary was broadcast and a peony painting promotion activity was held.

The forum also witnessed the launching ceremony of the peony garden construction project in Bulgaria and the initiation of the peony culture overseas promotion station in Malacca.

Before the forum, foreign friends had written postcards to express their admiration for peonies and good wishes to the Chinese people. To celebrate the friendship, the organizing committee of the forum prepared souvenirs such as commemorative covers and peony seals.

Heze, dubbed the city of peony in China, began exporting peonies since the 1950s. In 2023, over three million peonies from Heze were sold to more than 20 countries and regions, including Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, according to Heze Daily. (Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)