Lotus flowers thrive in Honghu Park

The Dragon Boat Festival has just passed, but residents can continue to enjoy the mood by attending the annual lotus flower show that kicked off yesterday at Honghu Park in Luohu District and will run until June 24.

Started in 1988, the show covers an area of 250,000 square meters, which is the same as before. However, 50 new types of lotus flowers were added this year to present over 500 types in total.

Around 300 high-quality types of the flower, including one called “Zhongshan Hongtai,” a hardy lotus with as many as 800 petals, and “Yixian Lotus,” which only has 20 petals, are available for residents to admire in Pinhe garden.

Staff from the park management office told the Shenzhen Daily that the garden, as it has precious types of lotus planted and is normally used for research, is usually closed to the public except during the show.

In order to let those who visit the park at night also have good experience, the park has put eight lotus-shaped lights on the lake to create a fabulous scene.

The design was inspired by a work called “Water Lilies” by French Impressionist Claude Monet, said the staff.

Aside from the lights, the park has also optimized the water-spraying equipment that was utilized last year to create a mist around the flowers for an enhanced visual effect.

Additionally, residents can attend several cultural activities in the park, such as a lotus art and photo exhibition and lotus education classes, as well as enjoy outdoor musical performances and miniature potted landscapes made of small and medium-sized lotus flowers.

The park’s opening hours are from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is free.