Chinese are now trying to make decision on their national flower between the peony and Chinese plum blossom.
The selection is much harder than it would seem at first glance since both flowers are favored by a large group of people since long ago.
The debate can be dated back as far as 1982.
In 1994, the Chinese Flower Association launched a nationwide campaign to choose a national flower. The peony was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), but the proposal was quickly shelved.
Now Chen Junyu, a fauna and flora expert, is again calling for the issue to be settled once and for all.
The professor with Beijing Forestry University maintained that the national flower symbol is meant to stimulate people's appreciation for both their homeland and nature. More than 100 countries have adopted a national flower.
But Chen said it makes sense for China to boast of two flowers since one cannot accurately represent all of China's varied geography and climate.
Sina.com, China's largest website, recently surveyed whether China needs a national flower. More than half of the 800,000 responded "Yes," while one fifth disagreed, saying China is so vast that no flowers can represent it.
(People’s Daily November 26, 2001)
