Luoyang, China's famous city of peony in Henan Province, opened its 20th peony festival Wednesday.

The 15-day event will bring to visitors to a sea of blooming peony trees lining almost every street and corner of the city in Henan Province, central China.

According to municipal officials, Luoyang has nearly 10 million peony trees in over 700 species.

The city has over 1,000 years of history in the cultivation of peony trees, millions of which are being exported to overseas market every year.

The annual peony festival has become an important showcase for the world to know Luoyang and Henan over the years, the organizers said.

The last 19 events of the festival have attracted nearly 40 million tourists to the city, with an tourist receipt of US$916 million of overseas investment.

This year's peony festival is also accompanied by various cultural, tourism and trade activities.

The first day of the festival saw the signing of 24 economic and technological cooperation pacts, worth of 9.29 billion yuan, the organizers said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2002)