Wangcheng Park

Wangcheng Park Covering an area of 67 hectares is the largest public park in Luoyang, and is well worth a visit. Of all the times to come, it is best here during the spring, especially in April when the Peony is in blossom. The Jian River flows through the park. And there is a small zoo, but the park's natural scenery is more of an attraction. An archaeological reconstruction inside the park is also of interest; there is an Ancient Cultural Section that is made up of a complex of mock ancient buildings in the Zhou Dynasty (1,100-221 BC) style. The garden itself was built on the original site of the ancient Zhou city. The most exciting part of the park, however, is the peony beds that are everywhere. The peony is China's answer to the Scottish thistle and Canadian maple, and it is widely regarded as a symbol of good luck. Luoyang considers itself as the hometown and age-old breeding ground of the pretty peony, a flower that is exalted in many of China's ancient literature and poetry. With various varieties and marvelous colors, the Luoyang Peony enjoys the honor of "King of the Flower Kingdom" and "Luoyang Peony Ranking the First under Heaven". Every year the park organizes a huge peony festival and it is an impressive display of these "King of all Flowers" when they come to bloom every April, and Wangcheng, is awash in a riot of colors: red, white, black, yellow, purple, pink, blue, green, and every shade in between during the Luoyang Peony Festival (Apr 15-25). The park contains over 200 species of planted peonies, and a total number of over 10,000 of the plants are contained within the compound.