Lotus Pools

Lotus Pools

On the vast plains of Meihekou, ponds of all sizes are scattered like stars. People admire beauty and love lotus flowers. As early as a hundred years ago, poems sang the praises of the magnificent sight of the lotuses here: "Early spring on Xingling, flowers cover the mountains; Night rainbows over lotus islets, yet no trace of the blooms." But the most commendable of all is the Lianhe River at the foot of Wukui Mountain. In July and August, whether on a sunny day or a rainy day, just take an umbrella and stroll to any random lotus pool around the Lianhe River. Stand by the pond, silently recite Zhou Dunyi’s "Ode to the Lotus" from the Song Dynasty, gaze at the sky-reaching broad leaves, admire the pink-faced lotus blossoms, and you can forget the hardships of drifting, the toils of labor, and the fickleness of worldly affairs.

This is a work of nature or a kind of natural naturality—vivid green waters that are carefree and delightful to the heart. Unfazed by wind and snow, unafraid of thunder and lightning, these are the lotuses that grow in the northeast.

It is said that the lotus pools here were once destroyed by a catastrophic flood—in the 1950s, the entire pond of lotuses turned into mud, and the splendid sight of the lotus pools was lost forever. But unexpectedly, after thirty years of wind and rain, the lotus pools miraculously sprouted lotus leaves again. The locals say: the lotuses reappeared possibly because although the floods washed away or even destroyed the stems and leaves, the lotus seeds deeply rooted in the soil remained.