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In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960), Mengchang, the king of the Later Shu Kingdom and a great hibiscus fancier, ordered the planting of hibiscus along the edges of the streets of Chengdu and on the fortress walls surrounding the city. After this, Chengdu started being referred as the City of Hibiscus, Róngchéng, 蓉城 . Today, the hibiscus is still the city flower of Chengdu.

The variety of hibiscus best-known for its association with Chengdu is the 芙蓉 fúróng, or cotton rose hibiscus (Hibiscus mutabilis). Known also as the "drunken hibiscus" or Confederate rose mallow, it changes color three times a day - opening white in the early morning, turning light red at noon and becoming bright red in the evening. In Chinese poems, hibiscuses are praised as equal to chrysanthemums, or the best of autumn flowers.

Photo of Hibiscus mutabilis by dinesh_valke