Proceedings get under way at the Heze Peony International Communication Forum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Heze Peony International Communication Forum kicked off on April 9 in the prefecture-level city of Heze in East China's Shandong province, in a bid to boost the brand image of Chinese peonies on the global stage.

Heze has been dubbed the "Peony Capital" of the country and is renowned for producing the peony flower, whose beauty has universally generated extraordinary passion among emperors, aristocrats and others in China for thousands of years. Moreover, the city is also understood to be the largest base for peony breeding, cultivation and exports in the world.

Sponsored by the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and the publicity department of Shandong, the forum got its theme as "creating a Chinese cultural identity and telling the story of the Heze peony to the world".

It was designed to bolster international communications about Heze's famous peonies and create a platform that boosts exchanges and understanding.

Xi Yanchun, a senior official from Shandong provincial publicity department, delivers a speech. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The peony flower has long been loved by Chinese folks because of its intensely luxuriant blossoms, said Xi Yanchun, a senior official from Shandong provincial publicity department. Xi added that their exquisite beauty and fragrance has gone hand in hand with Chinese culture through the passage of time, forming a unique and enduring floral language and charm.

Heze's peonies are said to help project an appealing cultural image abroad for the country and are part of the "Friendly Shandong" tourism brand. According to Xi, sharing the beautiful meaning and rich stories about peonies contributes to building a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as enhances inclusive coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations.

Zhang Lun, Party chief of Heze, delivers a speech on the Heze peony. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang Lun, Party chief of Heze, said that the peony culture was an important part of China's outstanding traditional culture. It contained a beautiful meaning of wealth, auspiciousness and prosperity and chimed in with the contemporary theme of world peace and development.

In recent years, Heze's peonies have made appearances on major diplomatic occasions such as the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Qingdao and the China International Import Expo. What's more, they've served as a special symbol to promote friendship and cultural exchanges between China and other countries, said Zhang. He called on the forum to help increase the international profile of local peonies and enhance its power for communications.

Israel's ambassador to China Irit Ben Abba said that Heze's peonies could become a bridge to spread love and friendship around the world and to promote Shandong as a global destination.

Julio Herraiz Espana, deputy head of the Spanish embassy in China, gives his thoughts at the forum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Heze sets an example of how a city can make use of its treasure, in this case the peony culture, to connect with the world, said Julio Herraiz Espana, deputy head of the Spanish embassy in China.

The city has taken full advantage of its peony culture, not only through  beauty, poetry and art, but also through the commercial and industrial applications, he added.

Activities including one theme forum, an exhibition, keynote speeches and a round table discussion were held during the forum. In addition, a Cooperation Base of Innovation on Cultural Communication, which will also serve as the Center for International Communication of Peony Culture, was unveiled.

The Center for International Communication of Peony Culture is unveiled at the forum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Heze currently has a peony planting area that covers 26,667 hectares, with 1,280 varieties of the flower.

The peony sector in Heze has evolved from manufacturing to sightseeing and has led to the creation of a raft of high-value peony-related products, such as seed oil, tea, cosmetics and health food.

Its products are exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the globe, including the United States, France, Germany and Japan.