Peony and plum blossom in the running for national honor

However, plum blossom supporters feel the peony is often associated with the pursuit of wealth and fame, which should not be encouraged and taken as a mainstream view.

In 1994, the Chinese Flower Association launched a campaign across the country to choose a national flower.

At the time, a proposal for the peony to be adopted was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, but was quickly shelved.

In 2005, a poll by sohu.com showed that 41 percent of the public supported the peony as the national flower, while 36 percent supported plum blossom.

However, when a similar poll was conducted in 2010, the proportion of peony supporters fell to 38 percent, while 43 percent favored plum blossom.

With public opinion divided over which flower should be given the honor, suggestions have been made that a "one country, two flowers" policy should be adopted.

Li Qingwei, an associate professor at the School of Forestry at Beijing Forestry University, supports this idea.

"China is just so big geographically, and both flowers are popular. So why not let both become national flowers? That's harmonious," he said.