THE China Flower Association (CFA) launched a poll from July 15 to Monday to solicit public opinions on whether to name the peony or one of nine other candidates as the country’s national flower.
Those who took part in the nationwide polling, which ended Monday, could choose from 10 nominees: peony, wintersweet, chrysanthemum, orchid, camellia, lotus, sweet-scented osmanthus, Chinese rose, azalea and narcissus.
According to the results of the poll, 80 percent of the 362,264 voters chose the peony, followed by the plum blossom and the orchid, the CFA said yesterday.
Known as the 「king of the flowers」 in China, the peony has been widely planted around the country and has a history of more than 4,000 years.
The poll finding will serve as a reference for a national flower proposal which will later be submitted to related government agencies, according to the CFA.
The association said China’s national flower should meet four criteria for consideration: it should originate in China and be ubiquitous in many regions, it should be beautiful in shape and color to represent the Chinese culture and personality, it should have a profound history and be widely known to the public, and it should be used in many fields in ways that benefit the public.
China is among the few countries without an official national flower.
Many netizens said they were surprised to discover it did not have one, with some saying they always assumed it was the peony.