Peonies flower in purple and white bloom in Ordos Wedding Culture Park. [Photo/people.cn]

The sweet smell of tens of thousands of flowers filled the air when the ninth Ordos Peony Cultural Tourism Festival kicked off on May 20 at the Ordos Wedding Culture Park in the Kangbashi district of Ordos city – in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region -- according to the organizers.

The festival will run from May 20 until June 15, lasting about a month.

Mid-May is the best time to view the more than 40,000 peonies and 20,000 Chinese herbaceous peonies in the park. The park’s peony gardens are said to have among the most numerous and most varied assortments of peony flowers in northwestern China.

A series of other activities will also be held during the festival, including artistic performances, a photographic competition, a hanfu or traditional Chinese costume show and outdoor weddings.

The organizers said the festival is an initiative by the district government to boost the development of local tourism and culture.

Compared with similar events held before, this year’s festival highlights a 5G live broadcast, enabling tourists and residents to admire the charming peony flowers online.

The virtual viewing is a measure introduced to reduce the risk of novel coronavirus infection and its spread from tourists gathering during the epidemic period.