Dubbed the "peony capital of China" by the China Flower Association, Heze in Shandong province will begin selecting candidates for a 2021 award recognizing those who have made significant contributions to the city's peony industry.

The selected individuals will be honored at an award ceremony in mid-May next year. The awards aim to promote local peony business and offer a cultural experience for locals and tourists.

With 4,000 years of history in China, the peony is incredibly popular nationwide. It is called "king of the flowers" in China due to its bright colors and elegant appearance and has become an auspicious symbol.

Visitors appreciate peony flowers in Heze, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Heze boasts China's largest base for peony cultivation, research, sales and exports. Its planting areas cover more than 30,000 hectares growing more than 1,200 varieties of peony.

The city is home to more than 120 peony production, processing and marketing enterprises. It has also launched a series of peony-related products such as peony seed oil and peony cosmetics to enhance the flower industry's added value.

The city's outstanding contribution award is to reward individuals or teams who have made exceptional contributions to the peony industry or the development of peony culture and art.

The award selection will be held once a year, and each winner will be awarded 300,000 yuan ($45,120).

The city will also host a series of peony-related competitions covering breeding, marketing and innovative cultural designs, offering big awards for winners.