[2025 Luoyang Attraction] Travel Guide for Guo Jia Mudan Yuan (Updated Mar)

Known as the "Imperial Capital for a Thousand Years, City of Peonies," Luoyang boasts a long and rich history of peony cultivation, originating in the Sui Dynasty, flourishing in the Tang Dynasty, and reaching its peak during the Song Dynasty. As Tang Dynasty poets Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi praised: "Only the peony is the true national beauty, moving the capital when it blooms. The flowers bloom and fall for twenty days, and the entire city goes wild." ‼️Important Notes and Pitfalls to Avoid 1️⃣ Check the weather forecast before heading out. Overcast, windy, or rainy weather will undoubtedly affect your photo-taking experience and overall flower viewing enjoyment. 2️⃣ Avoid interacting with villagers near the Peony Garden who try to solicit you for parking, meals, or discounted tickets. It's recommended to park in the designated parking lot within the scenic area and purchase tickets at the official ticket office. 3️⃣ Book your accommodations in advance, especially if traveling mid-month, to avoid a frantic search for a room late at night in Luoyang. 4️⃣ Prioritize hotels near the Luo River for convenient access to Luopu Park, where you can enjoy free peony viewing and the scenic river views in the early morning. This location also offers easy access to and from the city. 5️⃣ Peony gardens are located both within Luoyang city and in the surrounding suburbs. If you search for hotels near the National Peony Garden, International Peony Garden, Shenzhou Peony Garden, or Gaoshan Peony Garden, you might find hotels in neighboring counties like Yichuan, Mengjin, or Yanshi. These locations are only a 30-60 minute drive from the gardens. If you're open to staying in these counties, you might save on accommodation costs. 6️⃣ Arrive early, preferably before 8am, to avoid crowds and witness the enchanting sight of flower bushes shrouded in morning mist. Dew-kissed petals glistening in the sunlight are particularly stunning. 7️⃣ Whether using a phone or DSLR camera, some photography skills are essential. Peonies come in a wide array of vibrant colors and dense blooms, and without some photography know-how, your photos might end up looking overly saturated and clichéd. Learning a few tips beforehand will help you capture stunning photos worthy of sharing on social media. 8️⃣ While you can admire the flowers up close within the garden, please refrain from touching or disturbing them. Stepping into the flower beds for photos, picking flowers, or shaking the branches are strictly prohibited.

Attraction Introduction The National Peony Garden is the only national-level peony gene bank in China. Known as the "hometown of peonies," it is home to 1.5 million peony plants and 1,362 peony varieties. It also has the "Millennium Peony King," a relic from the Sui Dynasty's West Garden, which is a "living fossil" of Luoyang peonies. The garden's architecture is ancient and elegant, and the climate is like spring all year round, making it a great place to enjoy the beauty of peonies. Itinerary • Morning: Enter the park from the south gate and visit the Peony Exhibition Hall to learn about the origin, development, and culture of peonies. Then, visit the south area to admire various peonies, including the "Millennium Peony King." The pavilions and towers in the south area complement the peonies, making for beautiful photos. • Noon: Have lunch in the park's rest area or a nearby restaurant and try Luoyang's local delicacies. • Afternoon: Head to the north area, which has a large sea of peonies and rare peony varieties. Stroll among the flowers and enjoy their beauty and fragrance. You can also go boating or feed fish in the artificial lake and enjoy a relaxing time. Local Delicacies • Luoyang Water Banquet: A must-try traditional feast featuring soup dishes, such as bird's nest soup and sliced meat in soup. The dishes are sour, spicy, and delicious, with fresh and tasty soup. • Beef Soup: The beef is stewed until very tender, and the soup is fresh and fragrant. It is served with shredded pancakes or baked pancakes and is a classic breakfast for Luoyang locals. • Bufan Soup: This soup has rich ingredients, such as mung bean jelly, shredded kelp, and dried shrimp. It is sour, spicy, and appetizing, with a pure taste.

[Opening]: Everyone knows that Luoyang's peonies are the best in the world, and the capital city is moved when the flowers bloom. You may have been to the lively peony festival more than once, but you were looking at the flowers, not necessarily appreciating the peonies. Why do I say so? Because things are valuable because they are rare. Appreciating flowers is not just about appreciating the colorful clusters of flowers in the garden, but also about appreciating their rarity and preciousness as well as the stories behind them. The peonies will bloom in a few days. Before they bloom, let Xiaofan tell you about the peonies in Luoyang. Let’s cut the crap and get straight to the point. I will start with the expensive ones and then talk about the Luoyang red peony that is everywhere in Luoyang. There are quite a lot of flowers, so let’s talk about them in episodes. ⛺【Episode 1: Bean Green Peony】: The pea green peony is a pure green treasure with hydrangea-shaped flowers, named after its green bean color. This flower is a late-blooming variety. It is green when first blooming, and the color gradually fades when in full bloom. It turns white in the sun. It is refreshing and elegant, with a unique charm and an alternative and otherworldly beauty. Translated into Xiao Fan's words, it means: the flower is not big, the color is not bright, it resembles cabbage, and you may not even see it when you walk past it. Then you must be wondering, why is it so expensive? The answer is: it is green. 💗Small quantity: Bean green is not naturally produced, but artificially cultivated. As early as the Song Dynasty, a florist in Luoyang used mysterious medicinal herbs as fertilizer for white peonies. The next year, the white peony turned into a green peony, and because she was born in a family with the surname Ou, she was named Ou Jiabi. But green is not natural after all. Green peony changes color easily, and after changing, it is no longer green. Peonies are delicate to begin with, and Doulv is even more troublesome to take care of. It is very likely that you spent a fortune to buy a Bean Green Peony, but next year it will no longer be called Bean Green. Even in Luoyang, where peonies are as numerous as cattle hairs, Doulu is a rare treasure. If no one takes you to see the peony flowers, you may spend a whole day in the peony garden without seeing a single one. 💗Low-key: The bean green color looks like leaves, and the flowers are hidden in the leaves. Like a timid little girl. To see other peonies, just open your eyes. To see the bean green peony, you not only have to open your eyes wide, but also bend down to look for it. Finding one is like finding a treasure chest. 💗The flower language of bean green peony: life, expectation, light love, and dedication. (I have searched for it a thousand times among the flowers, and it looks at me as if it is the first time I see it. Yes, it is the goddess of your dreams who rejects you thousands of miles away, but you still devote your heart to her.) 🛬【Flower viewing location】: 👆: Less than a hundred trees. Planted near the National Flower Terrace. China National Flower Garden 👆: Sporadic planting. Near the Peony Fairy. Wangcheng Park 👆: Planted in large areas. To the west of the entrance to the North Garden is a patch of green peonies. National Peony Garden 👆: Sporadic planting. You need to be led by a guide to find it. China Peony Garden 🛬【Flowering time】: Generally blooms around April 20th. It won’t work if it’s too early or too late. It is recommended to consult Xiaofan immediately. There are many flying catkins in Luoyang in April, so it is recommended that you don’t forget to wear a mask when traveling. . .

At the end of April, I passed through Luoyang and was recommended by the hotel receptionist to visit the National Peony Garden. She mentioned that the peonies in Luoyang usually bloom from mid-March to mid-April, and most of them had already bloomed by now, but the National Peony Garden had some late-blooming varieties. Taking her advice, I went there. Indeed, most of the peonies had finished blooming, with only a few left, and some indoor peonies were still in bloom. I couldn't take pictures of the large swathes of flowers, and the indoor lighting was not conducive to photography. I took some pictures, but they were not of any rare varieties, just a memento of my visit to Luoyang. Afterwards, I looked up guides online and found that there are five or six large peony gardens in Luoyang. They even have black and green peonies, truly deserving of the title 'City of Peonies'. I'll just have to find another opportunity to visit.

Only the peony is the national color here. When the flowers bloom, the city will open the peony flower paintings exhibition. The peony, according to the color of the flower, the weight of the petals, there are many ways. The big peony, if you want to add another attribute to her, it should be a gorgeous big peony. The landlord's peony route in the May 1 holiday, after the 4.20 day, in fact, the early and middle peony is basically falling. After all, there may be no time to look at it, but before and after 5.1, the evening flowers began to bloom. To watch the evening peony display you can go to China National Garden, Guohua Peony Garden and International Peony Garden. I chose Guohua Peony Garden. Because the place is a little far away, it is not the main venue of the Peony Festival. There are many people, and there is a tourist experience park that can be close to the national flower. The next day, I go to Wangcheng Park in the city. The park has planned different peony gardens according to the blooming time. Most famous as the main venue of the Peony Festival, there is a boutique peony exhibition hall, which will give you the unexpected joy.