Annual International Peony Festival in Luoyang, China

Annual International Peony Festival in Luoyang, China

An April must-see for tourists on vacation in China, Luoyang hosts a Peony extravaganza including shows, dinners, concerts, tours and peonies everywhere.

The peony is revered throughout China but Luoyang is considered the peony capital. In 2012, the city celebrated the 30th anniversary of the International Peony Festival.

Peony Capital of China Hosts Annual Festival

In China, the peony is the “King of the Flower Kingdom” and a national emblem. Peonies are native to many Asian regions, southern Europe and western North America however this Chinese festival is truly international with flowers shipped to Luoyang from around the world. Thousands of peony plants are showcased in addition to countless peony beds in parks and private gardens located in and around the city.

Chinese celebrities headline the televised festivities. Foreign and national dignitaries and tens of thousands of curious sightseers flock to pay their respects to the beloved blooms. To date, passionate enthusiasts have propagated more than 600 new varieties in the peony beds of Luoyang. Although peony experts have cultivated the flower for centuries, additional variants are introduced each year.

Preparations for the Peony Festival Are City-wide

The planning for this event is ongoing, organizing each annual festival takes months. Event co-ordinators enlist local organizations to help recruit thousands of volunteers. Yet the bulk of the work starts just weeks before the throngs of tourists begin arriving.

The opening ceremony alone often utilizes nearly 10,000 costumed volunteers. Local university students perform as singers, dancers and less-skilled volunteers for synchronized ‘color shows’ utilizing things like pom-poms or flower-like umbrellas. Colorful potted plants are arranged in elaborate displays in parks, on the steps of large buildings and even on bridges. Official festival banners are affixed to thousands of posts.

Buses are borrowed from private companies, taxis tidied, additional parking areas are paved and high school students take over pedestrian control duties so police can direct traffic. Volunteers, especially those with foreign-language skills, are selected to help host the hordes of sightseers that swarm the flower beds like bees in springtime.

Buddhist Temples, Tang Dynasty Relics and More

After its capital, Zhengzhou, Luoyang is the second largest city in the province of Henan. It is considered Chinese tourists’ best-kept secret. The city’s popularity is not based on the famed flower alone. It’s also known as an ancient capital, noted in history books as the seat of government of thirteen dynasties. Luoyang lures travelers with many not-to-be-missed sights:

The Longmen Grottoes – Hillside cliffs harboring thousands of ancient Buddhist carvings. Many of the images have been defaced, but the area is now a United Nations World Heritage Site
White Horse Temple – repository of the first Buddhist writings to be brought – by white horses – to China and the temple complex built to house them
Museum of Ancient Tombs – tombs of the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty (Buddha Maitreya (Mile) | China | Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org).)
Six Horse Museum – Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770- 403 B.C.E.), burial pits of emperor’s horses and carriages
A starting point for the Silk Road – the ancient trade route
Convention and Exhibition Center lake with musical fountain larger than that of the the Bellagio Water Show – Tourist Attraction | Fountains of Bellagio – Bellagio Hotel & Casino (mgmresorts.com) in Las Vegas
Luoyang Museum – Tang Dynasty exhibits include more than 1500 tri-color (san sui) glazed pottery and bronze ware

Of all the places to visit, anyone on a trip to China during April must visit Luoyang. Registration records indicate that less than 100 foreigners reside in the Luoyang area with six-and-a-half million inhabitants. Locals in this enclave in the heart of China still give Westerners instant celebrity status. Peonies, historical sites, and friendly people all contribute to the popularity of this rural city that hasn’t yet adopted a sense of sophistication.

Tarsus - Ancient Tarsus in Asia Minor -Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey

Tarsus-Ancient Tarsus in Asia Minor Site of one of the oldest Middle East settlements, Tarsus played a prominent role in the histories of competing Near East and Mediterranean empires. Often overlooked in ancient history, the strategic city Tarsus, located in southern Asia Minor, may have been one of the first great “university towns.” Often associated with its “favorite son” Paul, the city was associated with a fair crop of ancient world notables. According the legend, Adam’s son, Seth, died in the region when it was a fourth millennium BC settlement. Fertile lands, a good port, and proximity to the roads connecting Asia Minor with Syria and Mesopotamia enabled Tarsus to prosper while escaping the fate of other great ancient cities during periods of competing conquests. From the Assyrians to the Romans Although it is agreed that Tarsus, as a city, was first established by the Assyrians in the 9th century BC, scholars conflict over which king was responsible. King Assurbanipal is given

American Comics Strips of the 1950s

american comic strips of the 1950s Mid-century and the rise of television saw the story strip give way to the humor feature in U.S. newspapers. Television had a greater influence on the newspaper comics business than any other development of the fifties. At the decade’s start, 3.1 million American homes had a TV set. This led to a newspaper-TV battle, which Editor & Publisher in 1951 called “a contest for the readers’ time in which no holds are barred.” Sudsy Solutions Also Read Were comic books popular in the 1950s? Some strips based on TV shows such as “Howdy Doody” and “I Love Lucy” were developed, but most of these were short-lived. Publishers and editors instead focused on creating “alternatives” to broadcast entertainment. The radio soap opera was replaced by realistically drawn comic strips about conventional people like doctors, lawyers, and judges. This wave was led by Elliot Caplin and Stan Drake’s “The Heart of Juliet Jones” and Leonard Starr’s “On Stage.” Some of t

Aries and cancer compatibility - Aries woman and Cancer man

Aries and cancer compatibility When it comes to Aries woman and Cancer man , it is balancing between the outgoing and extrovert nature of the former with the comfort loving and introvert characteristics of the latter. Both Aries and Cancer have great attraction for each other but to ensure the relation works perfectly for long time they have to work hard. Otherwise, the attraction would wane too soon leaving them poles apart from each other. Aries woman may find Cancer man a bit possessive and restraining and difficult to understand due to frequent mood swings. Problem point in the relationship is that while great understanding and adjustments are required, both of these partners are stubborn as well as inflexible in nature. If each of the two partners bends a little, the relationship could flourish into one of the best possible while if the two do not relinquish their stubborn obstinacy, the relationship could be damaged beyond repair. Success and failure of the relationshi p

Nakrotor

Search This Blog