Guyi Garden in Jiading District is blossoming with pink and white flowers as the 11th Shanghai Lotus and Water Lily exhibition begins on Saturday.

The 500-year-old Jiangnan-style (lower Yangtze River) classic garden will display approximately 400 lotuses and 200 water lilies, with 11 and 17 varieties to be seen in China for the first time.

Visitors can enjoy the beauty, elegance and fragrance of flowers in five large-scale gardening landscapes, while lotuses and water lilies will flourish in eight ponds and lakes.

Some award-winning lotuses in red, yellow, and other colors will be on display.

The garden's opening hours will be extended to 8:30pm on weekends, and night tours will be organized.

Tourists can have fun strolling through gufeng (old Chinese-style) bazaars, where they can practice calligraphy, make lacquer fans, drink lotus tea, and release lotus lanterns into the river.

There will also be classes on bamboo plaiting and lotus-related topics.

Exhibitions on the Ming Dynasty's (1368–1644) lifestyle, calligraphy, and painting will enrich visitors' experiences.

A banquet featuring lotus-themed cuisine and ice cream will tempt gourmets this summer. There will also be a Qing Dynasty (1616–1901) stone lion at the gate.

The exhibition's two sub-venues, Shanghai Zuibaichi Park in Songjiang District and Shenyuan Garden, a Jiangnan-style classic garden at Shanghai Expo Culture Park in Pudong New Area, will both present a lotus and water lily feast for the eyes.

If you go

Date: 5:30am-7:30pm (north gate), 7am-6:30pm (south gate). It will be extended to 8:30pm on weekends, July 6-August 10

Venue: Shanghai Guyi Garden 上海古猗园

Address: 218 Huyi Highway, Jiading District 嘉定区沪宜公路218号

Admission: 12 yuan