BEIJING, Apr 11: The 2026 Heze Peony International Communication Forum was held in Heze, the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China. With the theme “Flowers Bloom Across Continents, Civilizations Share Beauty,” the forum aims to use flowers as a medium to strengthen dialogue and cooperation among civilizations, bringing the vision of “each appreciating its own beauty and sharing beauty together” into reality.
Yu Tao, Deputy Director of the China International Communications Group; Sun Wenli, Deputy Director of the Provincial Publicity Department; and Zhang Lun, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, delivered speeches. Yang Huaiguang, Deputy Director of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office; Pan Lusheng, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chairman of the China Folk Literature and Art Association; Wang Lei, Director of the Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee; Nie Yuanke, Chairman of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference; and Vice Mayor Zhang Peng attended the event. Cao Lin, Member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Head of the Publicity Department, presided over the forum.
Yu Tao pointed out that it is essential to follow the important instructions of President Xi Jinping, uphold fundamental principles while promoting innovation, and ensure that China’s outstanding traditional culture adapts to socialist society, showcasing the unique spiritual identity of the Chinese nation. He emphasized the need to deeply explore the global value of peony culture, helping the world better understand peonies and China; to vividly tell emotional stories between peonies and people, focusing on harmony between humans and nature, and to produce more inspiring works; and to innovate application scenarios for the peony brand by empowering it with digital and intelligent technologies, creating new possibilities for its development. He expressed hope for strengthened collaboration in the future to promote peony culture, enhance exchanges and mutual learning, and jointly build a flourishing garden of human civilizations.
Sun Wenli noted that in recent years, the entire province has kept in mind President Xi Jinping’s earnest instructions, cultivated its rich cultural heritage, and told the “Shandong story” of China well, demonstrating responsibility in the mission of building a culturally strong nation in the new era. Heze has leveraged its unique resource endowment as the “Peony Capital of China” to continuously develop the Heze Peony International Communication Forum, achieving increasingly fruitful results and expanding its influence. The Provincial Publicity Department will coordinate resources from all sides to continue supporting Heze in exploring peony culture, expanding communication channels, and enhancing its global presence, so that blooming Heze peonies become flowers of friendship and happiness witnessing cooperation and development among countries worldwide.
On behalf of the municipal Party committee, the municipal government, and the people of Heze, Zhang Lun welcomed the guests attending the forum. He stated that communication is the starting point of civilizational exchange, and flowers are a language that transcends borders. The “Heze peony” is becoming a calling card to the world, spreading its fragrance far and wide. He expressed the willingness to work with friends from all sectors to share, promote, and develop peony culture, further enhancing its international influence and communication power, and building a “Peony Bridge” connecting China with the world. He also emphasized advancing both the “going global” of peonies and the “bringing flowers into Heze,” injecting new momentum into building a harmonious and shared world, and promoting deeper and higher-level cooperation in economy, industry, and culture to create a mutually beneficial development community.
At the forum, a themed short film titled “Flowers Bloom Across Continents, Civilizations Share Beauty” and congratulatory videos from international friends were shown. Some guests delivered keynote speeches. A traditional Heze guzheng inheritor and a foreign musician performed the piece “Waiting for a City of Misty Rain and Peonies” through a fusion of Chinese and Western instruments. Experts held a roundtable discussion on “Decoding the Connotation and Symbolic Reconstruction of Peony Culture in Global Communication.” Cultural and creative products were exchanged, the “Five Continents Fragrance” National Flower Garden was introduced, and “The Sound of Peonies in Space” was officially released.
Diplomats from Nepal, Cambodia, and Brazil stationed in China, along with international guests, officials from central ministries and national institutions, industry experts and scholars, and representatives from domestic and international media attended the event.