Heze Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 菏泽 (hé zé)
Population: 8,781,700
Area: 12,239 square kilometers (4,726 square miles)
Location: in the west of Shandong Province, east China
Administrative Division: 2 districts (Mudan, Dingtao); 7 counties (Caoxian, Chengwu, Shanxian, Juye, Yuncheng, Juancheng, Dongming)
Area Code: 0530
Zip Code: 274000
GDP (2019): CNY 340.998 billion (USD 49.427 billion)  

Heze is situated in the west of Shandong Province on the south bank of the Yellow River. It shares boundaries with Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu. Peony is one of the biggest highlights of Heze. With a planting history of more than 1,500 years, Heze is a peony production, scientific research, export and viewing base. The best viewing time is around April 10. In the middle of April every year, Heze holds a 20-day International Peony Flower Festival. At that time, it will carry out various activities and visitors can enjoy the flower together, see the art exhibition and learn about the local culture and folk customs. Caozhou Peony Garden is the largest peony garden with the most varieties of peony flowers in the world. Its peonies cover nine kinds of color systems, such as pink, red, purple, blue and yellow and the flower shapes are changeable.

It is located three kilometers (1.9 miles) from downtown Heze adjacent to the No.220 National Highway. Laid out in 1983, it is the world’s largest peony garden with the greatest number of different varieties. This is also the horticultural base of the peony, supplying the plants to scenic garden areas of Beijing, Shanghai Nanjing and Luoyang as well as exporting peony to many other countries. Simple and elegant old style buildings dotted among the flowerbeds enhance the ambiance of the garden. Nowadays, the Caozhou Peony Garden together with Gujin Peony Garden and Baihua Peony Garden are the main tourist attractions,  

 Other Scenic Spots: Caozhou Painting and Calligraphy Academy 

The Heze Mudan Airport has flights from/to many domestic cities, but international flights are not available. From its downtown, it is 220 kilometers (137 miles) to Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, 230 kilometers (143 miles) to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport and only 75 kilometers (47 miles) to Jining Airport, which can also be used. 

Heze is also one of China's important railway hubs. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway and the New Euro-Asia Continental Bridge (Rizhao – Heze – Xi'an) – Alataw Pass – Rotterdam) meet here. There are three railway stations serving the city.
 
Four national highways pass through the area. From the central bus station in 3, Mudan Nan Lu, interprovincial and inter cities buses are handy for the traveler.

The city has a warm temperate continental monsoon climate with abundant sunshine and four distinct seasons. Heze weather's annual average temperature maintains around 13.5C-14C (56.3F-57.2F). Spring, summer and autumn are all favorable for visiting this area. The annual Heze International Peony Festival is held during April to May, an excellent time during which to visit and admire the town of the peony.

 History: Heze has a long history. There are several sites of ancient Longshan Culture. Its administrative history can be traced back to the 17th century BC. It was known as Caozhou before being renamed after a natural pool in 1735 during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

 Physical Features: The city lies on the lower reaches of the Yellow River, being a part of the North China Plain. The city is situated almost entirely on an alluvial plain but some low mountains and hills are to be found in Juye County. The terrain has an incline running from the southwest to the northeast.

 Special Local Products: peony, dried persimmon, watermelon