As the 32nd Heze International Peony Culture and Tourism Festival gets underway in Heze city, located in East China's Shandong province, a local company has created a unique art form of peony porcelain.

This is said to combine the beauty of China's national flower with the elegance of ceramic craftsmanship.

Yang Hui, a member of staff at Yaoyao Shuntao Cultural Tourism Industry Development (Heze) Co Ltd in Heze's Juancheng county, recently showed how she made peony petals with porcelain clay and then assembled them into a flower.

"After drying in the shade, it will be fired at more than 1,300 C for three days and the peony porcelain will be made," she said.

Yang Hui proudly shows off the peony porcelain ornaments she has made. [Photo by Jiao Tongshuai/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The company was established in June 2021 in cooperation with the Heze Culture and Tourism Group. It has a design department and a research and development department, with complete production processes and techniques, according to Li Changsuo, head of the company.

He said that peony porcelain was a unique art porcelain variety originated in Heze, which is known as "the capital of peonies" in China and boasts the biggest peony production, research, export and tourism base in the world.

The peony porcelain has been dubbed "the peony flower that never fades".

The products have been well received by consumers since their launch. "At present, the company has opened 10 retail stores in Heze and the products are being sold to cities such as Beijing and Shanghai," Li said.

A woman carefully makes peony petals with porcelain clay. [Photo by Jiao Tongshuai/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhou Xiaotian, director of the production workshop, said that the company aimed to achieve the goal of a profitable artistic life with peony porcelain.

"Through our efforts, we will achieve the goal of raising the profile of traditional culture, building up a peony porcelain industry and promoting the local ceramics culture," he said.