Water lily extravaganza kicks off in Shanghai

Nymphaea 'midsummer' of the 2020 Water Lily Exhibition in Shanghai Chen Shan Botanical Garden from Aug 18 to Sept18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2020 Water Lily Exhibition kicked off in Shanghai's Chen Shan Botanical Garden on Aug 18.

According to the organizers, about 10 species of plants will be on display for the first time in the park during the monthly event, which will last till Sept 18.

These include the cross-subgenus water lily Nymphaea midsummer, which was cultivated in Chen Shan Botanical Garden in 2018 and successfully registered in the International Waterlily &Water Gardening Society (IWGS) in 2020, the tropical water lily Nymphaea Aegean that was also cultivated in the park in 2018, the best new water lily variety of IWGS and the cold-resistant water lily variety Nymphaea Jakkaphong.

Besides five water lily exhibitions, the garden has also organized activities where visitors can view aquatic life, learn more about science, watch 4D films and participate in photography competitions.

This will be the fifth consecutive year that the water lily exhibition is being held at Chen Shan Botanical Garden. Past editions have drawn an average of 200,000 tourists from home and abroad.