Exploring the Brilliant Summer Flowers in Nanjing
If you want to know which kind of flower is the most representative in Nanjing summer, it must be the lotus. It is easy to find numerous verses about the lotus in ancient Chinese poems or essays, such as "Green lotus leaves outspread as far as the boundless sky, and in the sunshine the lotus are particularly bright red", "Grown from the muck but untainted, the lotus poses elegantly above ripples of water without being flirtatious ", "The flute sound rising and falling under the bright moon, the lotus’ aroma wafting in the subduing wind"... Symbolizing nobleness and purity, the lotus is a favorite theme of poetry and painting of Chinese literati since ancient times.
In the summer when the sun is burning like fire, find a few places with lotus flowers, where you can choose to walk or sit with the lotus fragrance filling the air and the breeze. The lotus viewing period is from June to August every year. Which places are the best to enjoy lotus flowers in Nanjing summer?
Recommended Lotus Viewing Spots
Viewing Spot 1：Xuanwu Lake Park
Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area has a long history of planting lotus. During the Six Dynasties, Xuanwu Lake was famous across the country for its beautiful lotus, and the view there was even more spectacular in the Qing Dynasty. To date, Xuanwu Lake Park is still the most popular lotus viewing spot in Nanjing.
There are more than 500mu (approximately 33.3 hectares) of lotus plants stretching on the vast Xuanwu Lake. Visitors from other places can see a large stretch of lotus flowers as soon as they step out of the Nanjing Railway Station. The lotus flowers and the distant Purple Mountain together constitute a wonderful picture, attracting many shutterbugs to come every year.
Address: No. 1, Xuanwu Alley, Xuanwu District, Nanjing
Ticket: Free
Opening hours: All day
How to get there:
- Subway Line 1 to Xuanwumen Station (玄武门站), enter the park through Xuanwu Gate
- Subway Line 3 or Line 4 to Jiming Temple Station (鸡鸣寺站), enter the park through Jiefang Gate
- Tourist Bus Line 1, Bus No. 1, 33, 35 and 38 to Xuanwumen Station (玄武门站)
View Spot 2：Mochou Lake Park
When June approaches, the lotus flowers in Mochou Lake Park begin to bloom gradually. In Mochou Lake Park, the best places for lotus appreciation are "Mochou Creek" and "Lotus Pavilion". The 500-meter-long Mochou Creek is widely planted with lotus. In the Lotus Pavilion, you can admire the beautifully harmonious scenery, the lotus flowers gracefully swaying above the water, fancy carps frolicking under the water, surrounded by the green weeping willows, the traditional-Chinese pavilions and buildings. All these sights add more beauty to each other and complement each other perfectly.
Address:
- South Gate: No. 132, Shuiximen Street, Jianye District, Nanjing
- West Gate: No. 35, Hanzhongmen Street, Jianye District, Nanjing
Ticket: CNY 35/person (Free before 7:00 and after 19:30)
Opening hours: 6:30-21:00, no admission after 20:00
Tel.: +86 25 86661790
Transportation:
Subway Line 2 to Mochou Lake Part, Exit 1
How to get there:
- Subway Line 2 to Mochou Lake Station, Exit 1
- City Tour Bus to Mochou Lake Station
- Bus No. 7, 13, 19, 48, 204 to Mochou Lake Park South Gate Station (Arrival at the South Gate of Mochou Lake Park)
- Bus No. 9, 20, 29, 68 to Mochou Xinyu Station (Arrival at the North Gate of Mochou Lake Park)
In addition to lotus flowers, the featured summer flowers in Nanjing also include water lily, hydrangeas, Chinese trumpet creepers and pomegranate flowers --- Let's discover their sweet-scented traces!
More Flowers Appreciation Locations
Water lily
Flowering period：June - August
Recommended View Spot：Niushou Mountain (牛首山)
In the gradually rising heat waves in early summer, the verdant bamboo forest of Niushou Mountain casts a quiet shade for mountaineering tourists. The Hidden Dragon Lake (in Chinese：隐龙湖) in Niushou Mountain, formerly known as Banmutang (in Chinese: 半亩塘), is like a pearl embedded in the forest of Niushou Mountain. On the lake surface, the water lilies are in full bloom, mainly white, dotted with pink and yellow followers, gently undulating along with the ripples. After enjoying the water lilies, you can visit Usnisa Palace (in Chinese: 佛顶宫) and Usnisa Temple (in Chinese: 佛顶寺) on Niushou Mountain.
Address: No. 18 Ningdan Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing
Ticket: CNY 98/person (Saturday-Thursday), CNY 49/person (Friday, except for national holidays)
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Tel.: +86 4001656363
How to get there:
- Self-driving: Set the navigation destination to "East Entrance of Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone" (in Chinese: 牛首山文化旅游区东入口)
- By bus: Bus No. G70, 754, 712, 755 to the East Entrance
- By Holiday Tourist-Line Bus (running during nations holidays): Take the Tourist-Line Bus G5 from the South Square of Nanjing Railway Station to the East Entrance of Niushou Mountain
- By subway:
- Take Subway Line 1 to Baijiahu Station, then transfer to Bus G70 to the East Entrance of Niushou Mountain
- Take Subway Line 1 to Andemen Station, then transfer to Bus No. 755 or 712 to the East Entrance of Niushou Mountain
- Take Subway Line S1 to Hohai University·Focheng West Road Station, transfer to Bus No. 754 to the East Entrance of Niushou Mountain
Chinese trumpet-creeper
Flowering period：May - August
Recommended View Spot: Laomendong (in Chinese: 老门东)
Deep in the winding alleys of Laomengdong hides unexpected beautiful scenery. The vines of Chinese trumpet-creepers grow vigorously, covering the roofs and hanging on the mottled walls. The bright flowers protrude from the corners of the eaves, climbing on the brick walls and winding around the window mullions. The antique Chinese buildings are dotted with the orange flowers in the emerald green. What a unique Chinese-style view!
Address: Intersection of Gutong Lane and Jianzi Lane, Qinhuai District, Nanjing (Close to Zhonghua Gate)
Ticket: Free
Opening hours: All day
How to get there:
Take subway Line 3 to Wudingmen Station Exit 2, and then walk for about 900 meters.
Hydrangea
Flowering period: June - August
Recommended location：Hydrangea Park (in Chinese: 绣球公园)
Named after the Hydrangea Mountain (in Chinese: 绣球山) in the park, Hydrangea Park is a public park with mountains and lakes, located at the foot of the City Wall of Ming Dynasty. Every early summer, the hydrangeas in the park are in full bloom in various colors of pink, purple, blue and white, setting off against each other. Because the hydrangeas in the garden are of different varieties, they blossom one after another, and the entire flowering period can last until the end of July and the beginning of August. After enjoying the flowers, you can also visit the nearby Yuejiang Tower scenic spot.
Address: No. 406, Zhongshan North Road, Gulou District, Nanjing (close to Hunan Road)
Ticket: Free
Opening hours: All day
How to get there: Take Bus No. 57, 100 to Yijiangmen Station, walk for about 300 meters.
Conclusion
If you come to Nanjing in splendid summer, never miss the opportunity to take advantage of the cool morning breeze for a fragrant date with the brilliant summer followers!