The peony-themed museum in Luoyang. [Photo by Liu Bubing]

Luoyang in central China's Henan Province is once the headstream of Chinese civilization. Home to a wealth of magnificent natural landscapes and millennia-old cultural heritage, Luoyang in spring can fulfill all your expectations for a poetic life. The city features 1,100-plus varieties of peonies in nine colors, including black, red, yellow, green, white and purple. A total of 40 million plants or more grow there. Come to Luoyang for a beautiful date with peonies.

Time to visit in spring 

Spring treats Luoyang with favor and endows it with breathtaking beauty. Take a stroll on Luoyang's streets around the spring equinox, the fourth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar which usually falls on March 20 or 21, and look up to see a picturesque view: The myrobalan plums are in bloom, wrapping the main road with "pink flowing clouds"; cherry blossoms burst in profusion under the Zhuying Tower; white pear flowers are generous with their lingering fragrance on Taikang Road; some "impatient" peonies can't wait to bloom.