Photo provided to Hangzhoufeel
By Chen Yiming
The long-awaited first bloomed lotus flowers are finally seen in the West Lake. They are meaningful to the Hangzhou residents as the symbol of summer. As they do every year, the lotus maintenance team members patrolling along the West Lake are taking good care of the earliest buds.
As the lotus flourishing period lasts from late June to early August, here are some recommended places for viewing this flower fairy.
Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden
The water management office of the West Lake scenic area says that this year's first lotus flowers literally bloomed at the same time and in the same ponds as they did last year. One is next to the Boxiang Pavilion near a park, where the first lotus of last year also bloomed. Another is by the Xiling Bridge, in the center of the lotus pond on the southeast side.
Compared to other lotus areas in the West Lake, the water here is not deep and the pond is broad and open with abundant sunlight. This may explain why the first lotuses usually start the blooming season here.
Best viewing place: Zhanbi Tower(湛碧楼), Gate 3, Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden, #30 Yanggongdi
Traffic: Take Metro Line 1 and get off at Longxiangqiao Station, then take the tour bus loop (remember to wave for a stop) to the Garden.
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake
This is one of the traditional Top Ten Scenes around the West Lake. Backed by a mountain and facing the broad side of the lake, a large area of lotuses is planted here.
Traffic: Take Bus 10 or Y10 and get off at Zhejiang Museum, walk about 300 meters east along Gushan Road.
Broken Bridge & Beishan Street Lotus area
The most densely planted area of the West Lake lotus flowers is in the Beili Lake. Starting from the Broken Bridge, it goes west along Beishan Street to Xinxin Hotel. Background against the bridge, the lotus pond never lacks popularity among photography enthusiasts.
Traffic: The following routes stop near Beishan Street/ White Causeway (intersection): Bus 118, 16 and 51, as well as Metro Line 1 (Fengqi Station).
The Xianghu Lake
Every summer, the lotus flowers in the Xianghu Lake in Xiaoshan district are just stunning. They have debuted this year and will usher in their heyday in the next couple of months.
There are over 30 large or small trunks of lotus in the Xianghu Lake. There are many varieties of the flower, such as the West Lake red lotus, peony lotus, Xuetao, colorful ball, Erqiao, water-lily, to name a few.
Traffic: Take Metro Line 1 (in the direction of Xianghu), get off at the Xianghu Station and walk directly to lake.