Water blossoms on show at Jiading festival
The 10th lotus and water lilies festival opened in suburban Jiading District on June 22, with more than 500 varieties of lotus flowers and around 250 varieties of water lilies on display, some of which are making their debut in the city.
At Guyi Garden, the main venue for the flower festival, visitors can walk along a winding wooden path to get to the center of the lake, where they will find themselves surrounded by blooming pink and white lotus flowers against the backdrop of green lotus leaves.
Bright-colored water lilies, meanwhile, open quietly on the surface in the auspicious cloud-shaped pool, offering a serene and charming scene.
A man takes photos of the water lilies in the pool shaped like an auspicious cloud.
Near the lawn, species of award-winning varieties from previous national lotus exhibitions are displayed in pots, providing tourists a rare chance to appreciate them all in just one visit.
“We have collected both the newest and best varieties, such as the one with very narrow and long petal tips, which conveys a feel of elegance,” said Wang Guanfei, a gardening engineer at the Guyi Garden.
The pink variety features narrow and long petals that give an elegant feel to the flower.
During the lotus and water lily festival, nearly 30 interactive activities such as night tours, aesthetic education experiences, intangible cultural heritage courses, horticultural lectures and science popularization courses will be held at the garden.
“Notably, an immersive night tour has been designed this year that focuses on appreciating lotus and water lilies, classical gardens and traditional cultural elements, such as hanfu (Han-style clothes), traditional dance performances and concerts featuring Jiangnan sizhu (traditional string and wind music).
“The aim is to provide visitors with a richer leisure experience on a summer night,” said He Shiwei, a staff member at the Guyi Garden.
In addition to the Guyi Garden, the festival, which will run through August 22, also has two parallel venues, one at the Zuibaichi Park in Songjiang District and the other at the Chenjiashan Park in Jiading District.
