Peonies bridge friendship between China, Bulgaria

A park director and a landscape architect in Sofia shared stories about how peonies have helped strengthen the cultural connection between China and Bulgaria.

In the fall of 2024, as China and Bulgaria marked 75 anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Heze City, known as the 'peony capital' of China, transplanted 280 peony plants to Sofia's South Park, the largest urban green space in the capital of Bulgaria, sharing this iconic Chinese cultural treasure with the Bulgarian public.

The park's Commemorative Peony Garden, created to celebrate 75 years of Sino-Bulgarian friendship, is now the new home to these Chinese flowers.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the garden, park director Milena Vaseva reflected how the idea for the garden was proposed and brought to life.

"The garden with Chinese peonies became possible thanks to the wonderful initiative of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China, as well as thanks to the generous donation from Heze City, which provided 280 Chinese peonies specifically for our South Park," said Vaseva.

She also praised her Chinese colleagues who visited Sofia last year and collaborated with local staff to create the shared peony garden.

"What impressed me most in working with my colleagues from Heze was their professionalism and their excellent organization skills, their kindness, warm attitude, and generosity," said Vaseva.

For Vaseva, peonies serve as a cultural ambassador, symbolizing the blooming friendship between the two countries.

"The language of nature and beauty is universal. Creating a garden requires great care and dedication. So, we hope that through caring for this shared garden, it will become one of many reasons for continuing our fruitful cooperation. And, of course, for creating lasting and beautiful friendships between Heze and Sofia, as well as between Bulgaria and China, anyone who loves nature, beauty, and flowers is welcome here in May. We expect our park to be adorned with fragrant, beautiful peonies from China," she added.

Landscape architect Stavri Fotev also values the cultural ties fostered through flowers with the Chinese counterparts, and expressed hope that such connections will continue to grow in the future.

"We further enrich this area. Here, we have already planted herbaceous peony varieties, which are well-known in Bulgaria and have been used since ancient times. With the planting of the peony tree, which has also been used since ancient times in China, we are creating a connection between the Bulgarian peony on one side and the Chinese tree peony on the other side," he said.

"Thus, a continuous connection was established, which was very productive and beneficial between us and the Chinese specialists, and I believe that this fruitful cooperation will continue in the future," Fotev added.

Peonies bridge friendship between China, Bulgaria

The death toll from the nightclub collapse in the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo has reached 225, with several victims succumbing to their injuries at hospitals this Saturday.

The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Perez at the Jet Set nightclub, and the singer was among those killed in the incident, his manager said. His funeral, attended by President Luis Abinader and Latin music icon Juan Luis Guerra, took place on Thursday.

Among the victims, the tragedy took a particularly devastating toll on "Los Dorados," a close-knit group of seniors from the town of Haina who had gathered that night to celebrate decades of friendship.

Seventeen members of "Los Dorados" were at the club, joined by Perez, who also grew up in Haina and had returned to perform for longtime friends.

"It felt like an explosion, a horrifying blast. I didn't walk out. I was hurled outside by the force, thrown like the wind. My friend, I thought she was crushed, broken, because she emerged covered in water and blood. You could hear people wailing, crying for help. My sister was in there," said Ofelia Roy, a survivor of the blast.

Roy was the one who noticed warning signs before the collapse.

"I went to talk to security, told them pieces of the ceiling were falling, that the roof was peeling off. He brushed it off. But it wasn't normal at all. It had started peeling in the morning, and they had been sweeping up the debris. And then, when I turned to check if my sister was behind me, right then, the explosion came," she said.

The collapse also took away three family members' lives of Domingo Guillen, another member of the "Los Dorados."

"At Jet Set, they were going to honor Rubby Perez. But also, my sister was celebrating her birthday. Since she was one of us, he dedicated the party to her, to all of us. I lost two siblings and my brother-in-law," he said.

Jet Set is a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo that regularly hosts dance music concerts on Monday evenings.

Luis Abinader, President of the Dominican Republic, on Tuesday declared three days of national mourning to honor the victims, while an investigation to determine the cause of the deadly collapse is already underway.

Death toll in Dominican nightclub collapse reaches 225