China's national flower has not yet been officially determined, with the peony the most favored candidate

Many people assume that China's national flower is the peony, but strictly speaking, China has so far not officially designated a national flower at the legal or national level. In daily life, the peony and the plum blossom are the two most frequently mentioned candidates, and among them the peony is the most favored, often tacitly regarded by the public as the quasi-national flower.

The reason the peony is so deeply rooted in people's hearts is inseparable from its profound cultural heritage. Its blooms are large and its colors brilliant, and as early as the Tang Dynasty it was hailed as the king of flowers, symbolizing wealth, good fortune and elegance. Traditional peony-growing areas such as Luoyang in Henan and Heze in Shandong hold large-scale peony cultural events every year during the blooming season, further consolidating the peony's place in the hearts of Chinese people.

The plum blossom likewise has many supporters. It blooms in the cold and grows all the more spirited the colder it gets, and is regarded as a symbol of the unyielding, hardship-defying national spirit. In addition, traditional famous flowers such as the orchid, chrysanthemum and lotus each have their own followers, reflecting the different aesthetic orientations of Chinese people toward flower culture.

As for the selection of a national flower, society has organized numerous discussions and public votes, and the peony's support rate has always been far ahead; some views have also proposed a plan to designate the peony and the plum blossom jointly as the national flower. But as of now, the national flower remains at the stage of deliberation, with no official conclusion yet. No matter which flower ultimately wins, this discussion that has lasted for many years itself precisely reflects how much Chinese people cherish flower culture and national sentiment.