Heze (Chinese: 菏泽; Chinese: 菏澤; pinyin: Hé Zé), formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, bordering Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively.The total area is 12238.62 square kilometers and the population is 10.58 million.

Places of interest include Caozhou Peony Garden, Yuncheng Water Margin, Sunbin Tourist City, Dingtao Han Tomb, Shanxian Archway, Jinshan Mountain, Fangshan Mountain, Fulong Lake, the scenery of the old Yellow River route, etc.

There are 9 types of Mudan based on the colors: red, white, purple, yellow, blue, green, black, pink, and multi-colored.

The city is warm and nearly rainless in spring, hot and humid in summer, crisp in autumn and cold and dry in winter.

The municipal executive, legislature and judiciary are in Mudan District (牡丹区), together with CPC and public security bureaux.

According to the 2020 Chinese census, Heze was home to 8,287,693 people, of whom 1,346,717 live in the built-up area around the seat of government in Mudan District.

[23] Heze is the largest center in China for the cultivation of the "national flower" peony, after which the Mudan District was named.