​Chinese peony festival begins in Yangzhou

The 10th Chinese Peony Festival and the First University Music Festival, as well as important preparations for the 10th Jiangsu Horticultural Expo starting on September 28, began at the Peony Garden in Yizheng county, Yangzhou, Jiangsu province on April 29. 

Tourists at the Peony Garden in Yizheng county, Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/yznews.com.cn] 

The stage design for the opening ceremony incorporated elements of the Jiangsu Horticultural Expo, with the upcoming exposition's mascots, "Yuanyuan" and "Manman", featured on either side of the stage.

The festival also invited singers and bands from 10 universities, including Nanjing University, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Yangzhou University, Nanjing University of Finance & Economics, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing University of the Arts and Nanjing Normal University. 

According to sponsors, the success of the 10th Chinese Peony Festival and the First University Music Festival laid a solid foundation for the 2018 Jiangsu Horticultural Expo and the 2021 World Horticultural Expo.