The picture above shows a typical Chinese garden: simple, elegant buildings, willows, and a small pond full of lotus flowers. It is a famous sight-seeing spot at Tsinghua University, one of China's top universities located in Beijing.

Lotus grows in many parts of China, especially the southeast. In ancient China, poets wrote beautiful lyrics to eulogize the dainty flowers and emerald leaves in clear water. The young maids rowing to pick up lotus were also seen as an idyllic scene. Lotus stems up from mud but keeps itself clean; even the root is snow-white though it has been buried in the silt for a long time. Chinese people believe this symbolizes a noble and unsullied personality, and the virginity of young maids as well.

Scholars and poets admire lotus for its cultural connotation, while ordinary people love the plant for a more tangible benefit: the lotus root and seeds are edible, contributing to a variety of delicious dishes in Chinese cuisine.

China's Flora Tour

From the wetlands along the coast to the dense rainforests hidden in the southwest, China boasts an array of plant species. In this series, we will go on a tour to learn about some of the most representative flora in different provinces and see how they live in harmony with the local geography and climate.

(Cover image via VCG, designed by CGTN's Jia Jieqiong)

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