The Lotus Tourism Cultural Festival kicked off on June 26, amidst the heavy fragrance of various blooming lotus plants on Lianhua Mountain, Panyu District.

Visitors can enjoy a total of 100, 000 lotus flowers of over 500 different varieties, the largest scale of flowers ever in the history of the festival of over two decades. In addition to exotic lotus flowers from abroad, highlight of the festival lies in the twin lotus flowers on one stalk in one of the lotus ponds, a marvel that only occurs at a possibility of less than 1 in 100,000. Various delicate and delicious lotus food and fragrant lotus tea are also available at the holiday resort to the pleasure of both eyes and stomachs of visitors.

According to the staff from the Lianhua mountain holiday resort, travelers should pay attention to the time of visit. Different lotus has different blooming time. For instance, water lilies usually "wake up" during 8 to 9"oclock in the morning, while other kinds of lotus come into bloom during 12"oclock to 2'oclock in the afternoon.

Situated by the bank of Lion Sea which is the estuary of Pearl River, Lianhua Mountain, listed as one of the "Top 8 Guangzhou Tourist Attractions of the New Century", is an ideal place to view lotus plants in Guangzhou. The lotus festival will be held in Lianhua Mountain annually from June to August.