Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
Getting close-up to celebrate the beautiful lotus
By Xu Wenwen |
July 1, 2013, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LOTUS flowers can be only appreciated distantly but not touched blasphemously." This is a famous Chinese verse depicting the virtuous qualities ascribed to the lotus, but at the first Hangzhou West Lake Lotus Festival, most lotus were designed to be close to visitors.
They included: pot-cultivated lotus placed in parks; low bridges over lotus clusters; lotus that decorate boats; and lotus planted near river banks. All bring the beautiful flowers within reach of lotus fans.
"We designed the event for the lotus to be close to people so visitors can take photographs and appreciate them more easily," says Zhang Haizhen, vice director of Lingyin Management Office of the West Lake Scenic Area.
The West Lake Scenic Area is sponsoring the festival, marking the second anniversary of the day that West Lake was added to the world heritage list of UNESCO.
The festival runs through to July 31.
Almost 500 varieties of lotus are in bloom at the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard (Qu Yuan Feng He), Guo Mansion (Guo Zhuang), Hangzhou Botanic Garden, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (San Tan Yin Yue) and Hupao Garden.
As lotus grow in ponds and lakes, the usual way most people see them is looking down from a distance.
But exquisite scented lotus are worthy of a closer look.
Their petals, large or small, have a crisp, smooth texture, with delicate hues gradually changing from the bottom to tip.
Foliage seems kept to a minimum, with large elegant leaves spread on surface, over which beads of water roll.
And during the festival, at many spots the lotus can be touched and smelled, just like flowers growing on the land.
This is especially true of the 4,000-plus pots of lotus, growing at the perfect height for smelling their scent.
Among surprises awaiting visitors, the giant Victoria water lily, which originates from the Amazon River in South America, is undoubtedly a highlight.
The Victoria water lily has pads of up to 3 meters in diameter and stems that are 7 to 8 meters long.
It was named after Britain's Queen Victoria when introduced into Europe in the 19th century.
Some 400 square meters of Victoria welcome audiences at the Shanshui Garden of Hangzhou Botanic Garden, with an average leaf diameter of 1.5 meter, and beautiful flowers going to be in full blossom in the middle of July.
At the opposite end of the scale, tiny water lilies are a highlight at Guo Mansion - with the smallest flower no bigger than a thumbnail.
And at Hupao Park, the bowl water lily is the main attraction. As the name indicates, these water lilies are commonly planted in bowls, often with a diameter of often no more than 25 centimeters.
The bowl water lily is small, less than 10 centimeters usually, and was developed in ancient China as an indoor ornamental plant.
Sometimes bowls are decorated with imitation mini rocks, boats and bridges.
As well as the festival venues, several spots along Beishan Road are also traditional places for appreciating lotus.
During the festival, more than 100 types of other aquatic plants are also on show, and a series of activities about lotus are being held.
? Lotus Flower Arrangement Exhibition
Date: Through July 31
Address: Guo Mansion, 28 Yanggong Causeway (near Wolong Bridge)
? "Lotus Culture" Creative Bazaar
Date: Through July 31
Address: Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard, 89 Beishan Rd
? Tea ceremony performance exclusively about lotus tea
Date: Every Tuesday and Saturday morning in July, 10am
Address: China Tea Museum, 88 Longjing Rd
Tip: The best time to appreciate lotus blooms is the morning when they open. The flowers close each evening.
They included: pot-cultivated lotus placed in parks; low bridges over lotus clusters; lotus that decorate boats; and lotus planted near river banks. All bring the beautiful flowers within reach of lotus fans.
"We designed the event for the lotus to be close to people so visitors can take photographs and appreciate them more easily," says Zhang Haizhen, vice director of Lingyin Management Office of the West Lake Scenic Area.
The West Lake Scenic Area is sponsoring the festival, marking the second anniversary of the day that West Lake was added to the world heritage list of UNESCO.
The festival runs through to July 31.
Almost 500 varieties of lotus are in bloom at the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard (Qu Yuan Feng He), Guo Mansion (Guo Zhuang), Hangzhou Botanic Garden, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (San Tan Yin Yue) and Hupao Garden.
As lotus grow in ponds and lakes, the usual way most people see them is looking down from a distance.
But exquisite scented lotus are worthy of a closer look.
Their petals, large or small, have a crisp, smooth texture, with delicate hues gradually changing from the bottom to tip.
Foliage seems kept to a minimum, with large elegant leaves spread on surface, over which beads of water roll.
And during the festival, at many spots the lotus can be touched and smelled, just like flowers growing on the land.
This is especially true of the 4,000-plus pots of lotus, growing at the perfect height for smelling their scent.
Among surprises awaiting visitors, the giant Victoria water lily, which originates from the Amazon River in South America, is undoubtedly a highlight.
The Victoria water lily has pads of up to 3 meters in diameter and stems that are 7 to 8 meters long.
It was named after Britain's Queen Victoria when introduced into Europe in the 19th century.
Some 400 square meters of Victoria welcome audiences at the Shanshui Garden of Hangzhou Botanic Garden, with an average leaf diameter of 1.5 meter, and beautiful flowers going to be in full blossom in the middle of July.
At the opposite end of the scale, tiny water lilies are a highlight at Guo Mansion - with the smallest flower no bigger than a thumbnail.
And at Hupao Park, the bowl water lily is the main attraction. As the name indicates, these water lilies are commonly planted in bowls, often with a diameter of often no more than 25 centimeters.
The bowl water lily is small, less than 10 centimeters usually, and was developed in ancient China as an indoor ornamental plant.
Sometimes bowls are decorated with imitation mini rocks, boats and bridges.
As well as the festival venues, several spots along Beishan Road are also traditional places for appreciating lotus.
During the festival, more than 100 types of other aquatic plants are also on show, and a series of activities about lotus are being held.
? Lotus Flower Arrangement Exhibition
Date: Through July 31
Address: Guo Mansion, 28 Yanggong Causeway (near Wolong Bridge)
? "Lotus Culture" Creative Bazaar
Date: Through July 31
Address: Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard, 89 Beishan Rd
? Tea ceremony performance exclusively about lotus tea
Date: Every Tuesday and Saturday morning in July, 10am
Address: China Tea Museum, 88 Longjing Rd
Tip: The best time to appreciate lotus blooms is the morning when they open. The flowers close each evening.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
