Heze is the Peony capital of China and the Peony is one of China’s national flowers. I was lucky enough to be in Heze during the annual peony festival. Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wong, and Ms. Yang took me to the festival on my last day with them.
It is traditional to wear a peony hat made of live peonies.
I thought I would get by without wearing one,
but…
I think I was the only American at the festival, so I ended up with a crew from the local television station and the local newspaper following me around all day.
They had me posing in the peonies where no one was allowed to go.
People of all ages enjoyed the festival.
It was a beautiful way to end my stay in Heze.
See more photos in the Heze gallery.
Mr. Wood