Chrysanthemum: The symbol of vitality in Chinese culture

[Photo/CGTN]

"I don't have a particular preference for chrysanthemum, yet there are indeed no better looking flowers after it blooms," wrote the Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Yuan Zhen in his poem "Chrysanthemum."

Yuan is not the only one who praises the chrysanthemum's beauty in his poems.

So how pretty is this flower? The vast chrysanthemum sea unveiled today in Kaifeng, central China's Henan province may give a hint.

2,950,000 pots of chrysanthemum flowers are on exhibition across the city, indoors and outdoors, during the month-long Chrysanthemum Culture Festival which opened today.

The chrysanthemum is the flower of the city, and it has been 35 years since the first festival was held in 1983. This year, it also brings different breeds of chrysanthemum from different countries including the Netherlands, Italy, France, Japan, and Vietnam.