These lanterns were hung at the front gate of the small peony park down the street from us. You can tell how big they were by comparing them to the size of the people walking by. A large inflatable arch with baskets of peonies, a dragon and a phoenix framed the other gate. The park was decorated inside as well, with traditional Chinese scenes, and at night the sky was lit with lasers.

The peony appears in many works of Chinese art. This painting from Imperial times is displayed at the large peony park we visited to the east of Luoyang. It shows an eminent man and beautiful ladies enjoying a walk through the peony garden.

The entrance to the park is a large patio area, surrounded by porches built in traditional Chinese design. Lee liked the trees that you can see behind the roof, though we don't know what kind they are. They have large leaves and green bark.

These tiles decorate the inside walls of the porches in the previous photograph. They are another example of the peony in Chinese art.

Throughout the park we came upon wonderfully scenic spots, like this one, where visitors can "take a rest".

There are no flowers in this picture because these plants are herbaceous peonies, which bloom later than the woody-stemmed kind. However, we wanted to show you the irrigation system. About halfway up the irrigation channel, you can see openings to each side in the concrete. These allow water to flow to each flower bed, and are blocked off with either mud or a concrete block when the plants have sufficient water. Some of the flower beds are shaded with net canopies so the flowers will last longer and more people can enjoy them.

Qiyun Tower is not actually in the peony park, but it is right across the street. Qiyun means "level with the clouds". This tower was first built of wood around 930 A.D., but it burned and was rebuilt of brick in 1175. It has 13 stories and is around 80 feet tall.

Copyright 2004, Dr. Lee Williams

Last Modified: 22 May 2004

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