More than 40,000 peonies blossomed in the Peony Garden Villa, located in Liuhe town of Taicang, as the 2014 Jiangnan Peony Culture Festival opened in Taicang on April 13.

With blossoming peonies everywhere, the Peony Garden Villa glowed with bright colors. It drew thousands of visitors on the opening day of the peony culture festival. New planting techniques helped make the garden more beautiful. An official of the Peony Garden Villa told the reporter that a species of tall peony plants were grown on both sides of the pathway. “This year we grow peonies on the grassland of the park, so that visitors could touch and feel the peonies, as well as take photos with the peonies.”

The opening ceremony, highlighting the theme of peony culture, took the form of a grassroots performance with participation from all walks of society. Various forms of Chinese traditional opera, such as Shaoxing opera and Kunqu opera, were performed to present the peony culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

“The opening ceremony could shorten the distance between the peony culture festival and the public by engaging them in the performances,” said Chen Ping, vice-president of the Peony Garden Villa.

The Jiangnan Peony Culture Festival will last until May 15.