| 4-DAY
TOUR OF HENAN
Day1 BEIJING - HEZE
by train through Hebei and Shandong provinces to the Heze
Peony Festival, the biggest and most important celebration
of China's national flower. Soon we enter the floodplain
of the Yellow River. This is the agricultural heartland
of early Chinese civilization, and still the heartland of
peony cultivation. Heze (ancient Caozhou) is known as "the
land of peonies." It has been the main center of peony
cultivation in China since the Qing Dynasty began, in the
mid-17th century.
Day2 HEZE - KAIFENG
We spend all day at the Heze Peony Festival. More than 600
cultivars are on display in dozens of gardens and exhibits.
Late in the day we travel by coach ~ a very comfortable
bus ~ to Kaifeng, Tonight we stay in the Dong Yuan Hotel
in Kaifeng.
Day3 KAIFENG - LUOYANG
Kaifeng was already ancient when it became China's capital
under the brief, glorious Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
There are many relics here worth seeing, and we may see
a few in passing, head west to Luoyang, again on the Yellow
River. Luoyang, "the city of peonies," China's
capital during 9 dynasties, has been a center of peony production
since the Sui Dynasty (6th century, just before the Tang).
For much of that time, it was the main center. Now it is
second to Heze.
We end the day with a visit to the Luoyang Peony Festival.
In Wangcheng Park, the legendary King of Peonies, 'Yao Huang'
(Yao's Yellow) and the Queen of Peonies, 'Wei Zi' (Wei's
Purple) are blooming in vast formal beds. The range of cultivars
grown in Luoyang is similar to that in Heze, but each display
is different and we will again have the chance to meet local
peony experts.
Day4 LUOYANG – BEIJING
By now some of us may be experiencing Temporary Peony Overload
(it can happen!). Diehards may prefer to return to the festival
this morning. We will play it by ear. But we have planned
a visit by coach to the wonderful Longmen (Dragon's Gate)
Caves. These grottoes on the nearby Yi River contain thousands
of Buddhist sculptures of the 5th to 9th centuries ~ the
largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of
the late Northern Wei and Tang dynasties. Then flyy back
to Beijing and tour end with good wishes |
