One hundred thousand mu of lotus flowers

One hundred thousand mu of lotus flowers

Every midsummer, hundreds of miles of the Weishan Lake surface are ablaze with blossoms, fragrant with the scent of lotuses. There are patches of various sizes—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, even one hundred thousand mu—all stretching as far as the eye can see, forming a spectacular sight.

Here, small patches of lotuses are not worth mentioning. The most magnificent are three areas: the stretch from the west of Weishan Island to Ai Lake alone has one hundred thousand mu of lotuses, while Liuzhuang and Nanyang towns each have several ten thousand mu. The lotuses are all wild, in red and white colors. The red ones are as brilliant as rosy clouds, the white ones as elegant and pure. Such vast fields of lotuses are rare not only in Shandong Province but also across the whole country—truly a wonder of Weishan Lake. Compared to West Lake in Hangzhou, praised as having “osmanthus blooms for three autumns and lotus flowers for ten miles,” Weishan Lake’s lotuses are no less splendid. No wonder visitors who have admired the lotuses here often add, after the saying “No need to see other mountains after Huangshan, no need to view other waters after Jiuzhaigou,” the line “No need to admire other lotuses after Weishan Lake.”

Lotus flowers are deeply loved by people for their quality of “emerging unstained from the mud yet not seductive despite their cleansing glow.” Throughout history, poets and scholars have done their utmost to praise them, with the volume and high regard for them being no less than that for plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Meanwhile, generations of working people have regarded the lotus as a symbol of fortune and purity, associating it with wealth, happiness, and peace. Thus, in temples, the Buddha and the Holy Mother are enshrined on lotus thrones, some even dressed in lotus garments. Painted child prodigies or koi leaping over the dragon gate are also depicted with lotus flowers by their side.

The cultivation of lotus has a long history in China. Fossilized lotus leaves about 10 million years old have been found in the Qaidam Basin, and fossilized lotus pollen 70 million years old was discovered in Yuyao, Zhejiang. In Zhengzhou, Henan, two carbonized lotus seeds 5,000 years old were unearthed. Verses from the Yuefu poetry, “In the south one may gather lotus, its leaves so lush and wide,” confirm that lotus cultivation was already quite common during the Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Appreciating lotus flowers also has a history of over two thousand years. The “Li Sao” contains the famous line, “I pluck the water caltrop and the lotus to weave my dress, and gather the lotus blooms to fashion my gown.” Painted pottery plates featuring whole lotus flowers have existed since ancient times. The “Wu Jun Ji” records: “The Lotus Pond lies outside the Fen Gate, where on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month the boat traffic is busiest, with painted pleasure boats gathering like clouds.” Hence, the 24th day of the sixth lunar month was traditionally celebrated as “Lotus Festival” or “Lotus Birthday.”

The lotuses of Weishan Lake emerged along with the formation of the lake during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The lotus species in the lake are uniform and not artificially cultivated. They have always grown and perished naturally. Due to the depth of the water and lack of suitable tools for harvesting, tens of millions of pounds of lotus roots rot underwater each year. The fishermen of the Weishan Lake area also regard the lotus as a life-saving and sacred flower. Legend has it that long ago, the Weishan Lake region frequently suffered from floods, locust plagues, unstable water levels, and scarce fish and shrimp. Crops along the shore were either washed away by floods or devoured by locusts, yielding no harvest. Starving people had almost eaten all the aquatic weeds in the lake, and many began to suffer from edema and bloody stools. One day, a green precious hairpin floated onto the lake surface. Wherever the hairpin drifted, green leaves emerged and red flowers stood tall. At first, the starving people tasted the lotus, then peeled the seeds and dug the roots to fill their stomachs. Within days, their swelling subsided and the bleeding stopped. After the famine, people stopped eating the lotus seeds and roots. The lotus was able to thrive, and people not only ate it but also began to admire it. Thus, the lotus came to be revered as a sacred and life-saving flower. It’s not hard to imagine how deep the affection of the lake people is for the lotus. Even today, the reverence and love of the lake people for the lotus remain as strong as ever. If a “county flower” were to be chosen, the lotus would undoubtedly be the rightful representative of Weishan County.

With the improvement of living standards and the development of tourism, in recent years a “lake tour and lotus appreciation craze” has emerged. Weishan County has also specially built and equipped tourism facilities for this purpose—lakeside docks, Ai Lake docks, Wanghu Tower, Guanhe Pavilion, and more—allowing visitors to stay comfortably, eat deliciously, and enjoy themselves to the fullest.

There are four routes to enter the lake and admire the lotuses from Xiazhen, the county town: one is to take a boat from the West City Dock, go downstream along the canal for over ten li, bypass Ai Lake Port, and then enter the beautiful scenery; another is to drive from the county town to Ai Lake, leave the car and board a boat heading east, and soon enter the lotus fields; the other two routes are to drive from the county town to Liuzhuang and Nanyang, where there are also tens of thousands of mu of lotuses waiting for you.

From early summer when “the tiny lotus leaves just show their pointed tips” to late autumn when “the lotus has withered and holds no more rain-shielding leaves,” you can enjoy the lotuses of Weishan Lake for as long as four months. You can observe the various graceful forms of the lotuses throughout their growth cycle.

In early summer, among the thousands of acres of blue waves, the lotus leaves lie like jade plates floating on the water’s surface, lush and dripping with freshness. Each new lotus bud strives to push its pointed tip above the water, like little torches about to ignite. And in the crystal-clear water below, lotus shoots sprout and stems grow vigorously. Boating among the lotuses, you can hear the “squeaking” sound of new lotus shoots growing. The lotus fields are easily navigable by boat, the water is clear and the lotuses green, giving a sense of tranquility and comfort.

Midsummer is the peak season when lotuses compete in beauty. Looking across the one hundred thousand mu of lotus fields, reds and greens blend, layer upon layer of emerald and brocade. The lotus stems, as thick as thumbs, hold up lotus leaves over a meter in diameter, while oversized lotus flowers taller than a person bloom proudly, and slender lotus pods sway gracefully in the wind. Even more delightful are the beautiful dancing angels—butterflies fluttering gracefully among the flowers; bees that “drink the dew of the lotus in the morning and sleep among the blossoms at night” buzz incessantly as they gather nectar; and the lake’s unique dragonflies, some perching delicately on lotus tips, others lightly dipping their tails into the water. Fish in the water occasionally leap above the surface, splashing clusters of water droplets, or even landing “plop” on a lotus leaf before bouncing back into the water… a vivid, living picture of frolicking with the lotuses.

When boating on the lake, if faced with blazing sun, simply flip a lotus leaf upside down on your head to block the sun and refresh yourself. If caught in howling winds and pouring rain, there’s no need to worry. No matter how the weather changes, as long as you’re within the lotus fields, you’ll remain safe and sound. This is no surprise—the lotus fields are vast, densely packed with lotuses that act like giant screens, completely covering the lake surface, preventing even the fiercest winds from stirring up waves. The dense, large lotus leaves are like umbrellas; visitors can hide beneath them to enjoy the sights of the lotus fields in wind and rain: when the wind blows, the lotus leaves roll, the green fields alternately dancing like silver silk or swaying like green satin, as if a troupe of giant dancers performing an elegant group dance; when drizzle sprinkles the lotus leaves, it makes a rustling sound like silkworms munching; when heavy rain pours, water droplets splash, and pearls of water burst on the leaves with a deep “crackling” sound, like the clamor of thousands of troops battling fiercely on a battlefield. Once the wind dies down and the rain clears, the lotus leaves become even greener and more dazzling, the lotus flowers redder and more striking. A faint fragrance lingers in the air, and even scooping up the lake water is infused with the scent of lotus. After being baptized by wind and rain, the lotus fields become even more breathtakingly beautiful.

If you’re in the mood and the weather is fine and sunny, why not bring a sketchpad and wander among the lotuses to paint? It’s truly indescribably wonderful. Fishing among the lotuses requires no long lines—just gently cast your hook where the lotuses “move” and the fish “scatter,” and you’ll have fish at your fingertips, a delightful experience. If you’re a good diver, you can even dive underwater to harvest the lotus roots beneath the flowers, though you’ll need to brave the “prickles.” Or, if you carry a camera into the lake to take photos, you’ll find picturesque scenes everywhere. After admiring the lotuses, you can pick a few budding lotuses to place in a vase on your desk—they’ll fill your room with fragrance in just a few days. Pick a lotus petal and you can even make a delicate bookmark as a memento of your lotus-viewing experience.

By late autumn, the lotuses have shed their green attire, gradually turning yellow. The entire lotus field shimmers golden, with sparse blossoms and fallen petals often drifting on the water surface, stirred by the autumn wind. At this time, the most eye-catching things in the lotus fields are the densely standing lotus pods. Boating through the lotus fields, you’ll often hear the dry, old lotus seeds “crackling” as they fall into the boat. Bending over the water, you can also harvest autumn water chestnuts, experiencing the joy of harvest. And there are lotus-picking girls in red and green, singing and dancing as they gather the lotuses. The “Lotus-Picking Song” drifts with the fragrance of lotus:

The lotus-picking boat floats on the waves, parting the lotus blossoms to watch the fish leap. Picking lotus pods above and water chestnuts below, the new boat is filled with green agates. The fisherman’s daughter is a flower among flowers,

The young man on the lake is a dragon in the water. Their hearts build a bridge, their songs pave a road. Ah…

In recent years, to make the lake even more beautiful, Weishan County has strengthened the management and artificial cultivation of lotus in the main lake, as well as rice-field or pond lotus, while also introducing some superior varieties such as Xianglian, Bailian, Meiren Hong, and Liuyuebao. The area of lotus flowers in the lake region continues to expand, and the situation of lotuses growing and perishing naturally will gradually improve. The lotuses of Weishan Lake will become even more dazzling.