Fangyun Cheng MS, PhD

Dr. Fangyun Cheng is a professor at Beijing Forestry University where he teaches Ornamental Plant Propagation and Nursery Management. Dr. Cheng’s research interest is focused on the breeding and propagation of ornamental plants, especially Paeonia. He is a leading authority and researcher on tree peonies.

Fang Yun grew up in a village in Gansu province in Northwest China near where there are still wild populations of the tree peony P. rockii. Fangyun’s interest in peonies was stimulated early in life by his grandfather who grew various ornamentals, including two classic cultivars of tree peony. Fang Yun Cheng obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the Biology Department of Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China where he majored in Botany. For the Ph.D. degree, he majored in Ornamental Plants in the College of Landscape Architecture of Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. Following completion of his Master’s degree in 1987, he started his research work on the Mudan as the tree peony is known in China and he taught biology for approximately 10 years in Lanzhou. Following completion of his Ph.D., he spent two years as a special researcher of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), at Shimane University, Matsue, Japan, studying relationships of Japanese and Chinese cultivars of P. suffruticosa. Since 2000, Dr. Cheng has been a professor in the College of Landscape Architecture of Beijing Forestry University.

Dr. Cheng’s research is mainly on tree peonies endemic to China. It is focused mostly on two topics, breeding, and propagation of both species and cultivars directed towards the sustainable development of the peony industry in China. Studies by Dr. Cheng on Rockii hybrids led to the publication of the book “Chinese Flare Mudan” in 2005. He has received many awards for his teaching and research on peonies. Dr. Cheng’s research group is composed primarily of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students working on a wide variety of research topics on tree peonies.