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Peony the king of flowers

More than 15 dynaties have made Luoyang their capital city over the past 5000 years. If you want to relieve the glory of those ancient dynasties, you can go to Luoyang during the month of April and observe the blossoming peonies. The peony has been known as the “king of flowers” ever since Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty aestheticism was one of the abundance and lush beauty. The broad, glamorous petals and the pungent fragrance of the peony made ir a natural choice as the “king of flowers”.

Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was a great fan of the peony which his concubine Yang Guifei would wear in her hair to get his attention. This caused bees to buzz all around her and Emperor Xuanzong was very taken with the sight. So much so, that he sent his people to bring the poet Li Bai, who was drunk in a tavern at the time, to the palace and immediately compose poetry about her. Li Bai lifted his pen and wrote three poems about flowers and beautiful women. The peony was a symbol of the wealth and prosperity for the Tang Dynasty. It also represented power and desire.

As another story goes, the Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian, ordered a hundred flowers to be forced opened during the winter but the peony was the only flower that would not bloom. The Empress was enraged and banished the peony from the capital city of Chang’an to the city of Luoyang. Once the peonies reached Luoyang they bloomed beautifully. The Empress then ordered all the peonies to be burnt, but even though they were all burnt, they grew right back the next year. The peony has an even more symbolic meaning in folk legend. It is the flower of love; also it has inspired countless poems and painting.

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