Gardens rush to import 'Cathay'

China's botanical gardens and parks are racing to import and exhibit the "Cathay" tulip from the Netherlands, a new species named by first lady Peng Liyuan.

On Sunday, Peng, during a state visit with President Xi Jinping to the Netherlands for the Nuclear Security Summit, poured champagne to bless the tulip and named the plant Cathay, or in Chinese guotai, at the invitation of the Dutch Queen Maxima.

The name Cathay is an old name for China in the Netherlands and it means "prosperous country" in Chinese.