Enduring symbol of joy and revival

This week, a grand festival celebrating the peony blossoms is being held in Luoyang, Central China's Henan province. Visitors can admire hundreds of varieties as artists join hands to paint huge scrolls of the flower.

It was former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai who introduced the peony as China's national flower to foreign guests. When he visited Luoyang in the early 1970s, local officials said there were few healthy blossoms, owing to a lack of funds.

"Peony is stately and magnificent. It symbolizes the Chinese nation's prosperity and happiness. It must be saved immediately," Zhou said. In a meeting of the National Congress, he ordered several pots of peonies to be placed in the podium.