The Xuanwu Lake has a long history of cultivating lotus. As one of the eight most famous lotus-watching resorts in China, the Xuanwu Lake Park grows nearly 500 mu (33 hectares) of lotus on the lake. The most famous variety is the “Xuanwu Red Lotus” that has overlapping white petals with a tint of red and is very pleasant to the eyes. Every summer, the lake is covered with endless waving lotus leaves dotted with lotus flowers in full bloom. The Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area holds a Lotus Flower Festival and invites citizens and tourists to enjoy the lotus. It also launches events such as the lotus-admiring trips around the lake and the light show at night for people to enrich their leisurely life in summer and savor the charm of lotus flowers in the cool wind.
In the west of the cherry orchard in Yingzhou, the giant waterlilies are blooming most attractively above water. The giant waterlily has the largest leaves of all aquatic plants in the world. The leaves lie flat on the water’s surface like a large floating jade plate, creating a very spectacular sight. Different from other lotus flowers, the giant waterlily usually blooms at night for only 2-3 days. The flower is white at first and turns pink on the next two days, which is pleasing and soothing to look at. Many tourists and photographers will come to capture the moment when the flowers bloom most beautifully.
