And due to low output, the price for the peony oil is high. A 275 ml bottle of peony seed oil produced by Li's company sells at 1,000 yuan ($165).

From peony seed oil to peony toothpaste, peony tea, peony cosmetics and even peony eggs, you name it and Chinese city Heze has it. ST PHOTOS: JOYCE ZK LIM. UPDATED Apr 19, 2025, 09:53 AM.

On Chinese e-commerce platforms, a bottle of 500ml peony seed oil goes for an average of 580 yuan ($83.8). The oil is an example of the deep processing of cultivating peonies.

It's said that Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the only empress in China's history, asked all flowers to blossom in winter in Chang'an, today's Xi'an, Shaanxi province.