Reputed as a gentle flower, the water lily (or lotus flowers) has prevailed everywhere in Chinese people's lives since ancient times.

Many scholars in different dynasties hold it in high esteem for its beauty. The famous philosopher and poet Zhou Dunyi of Song Dynasty once wrote a short essay "On the Love of Lotus" (Ai Lian Shuo) in which Zhou compared the character of chrysanthemums and peonies with the lotus and highly praise the plant's truth and sanctity.

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