Mudan (Chinese: 牡丹) is a name used for a group of cultivars of tree peonies that are the result of hybridisation with species exclusively belonging to the subsection Vaginatae. Choumeizai has visited a Mudan garden in Xian of Shaanxi Province in China, the Mudans there are incredibly beautiful.
The Mudan garden is built on the slope of Qin Mountains (秦嶺), so it looks natural as a Mudan forest.
Mudans have been cultivated for millennia in China, initially only as a source of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly the skin of its roots.
Mudan belongs to the peony family. The most distinctive feature is that Mudan is a bush or a tree, whereas most peonies are herbaceous.
Mudan is also cultivated for its ornamental value, and it is highly revered in Chinese culture, it has been frequently portrayed in significant Chinese works of literature and art.
In China, Mudan is generally known as the ‘king of flowers’, symbolizing honor, wealth, and aristocracy, as well as love, affection, and feminine beauty.
