The 8th Shanghai lotus andwater lilyexhibition opened at Shanghai’s Guyi Garden inJiadingDistrict yesterday, featuring 3,500 square meters of flowers in many colors, including some new, rare and award-winning ones.

The display at the classicalJiangnan-style garden which dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) also includes nearly 2,000 pots of lotuses.

Some autumn lotuses, hybrid lotuses, tropicalwater liliesand lotuses from countries such as Japan and Thailand are also on show.

The display will run through July 25.

This year’s lotus flowering is about a week later than last year due to continuous rainfall and a sudden drop in temperature, saidthe garden’s LiuAmei.

The best temperature for lotus growth is between 25 and 32 degrees Celsius, and the best temperature during the budding phase is above 25 degrees for at least 14 consecutive days, saidLiu.

Lotuses prefer sunny weather to bloom.

During the exhibition, a variety of activities such as Peking Opera performances, anight tour webcast, a summer health lecture, a gardening class and a summer camp will be hosted at the garden.

A lotus feast, featuring food made from lotus roots and flowers, will be served at the garden’s restaurant during the exhibition.

“We made innovations on about 60 percent of lotus cuisines compared with last year,” saidZhangYukang, one of the chefs behind the 11 dishes.

“A dish replicateswaxberrywith lotus roots and shrimp as fillings,” saidZhang. “We drew inspiration from Western dishes for it and the dish involves a lot of complex and exquisite procedures.”

An illustration exhibition featuring lotuses and water lilies and a Chinese silk tapestry circular fan exhibition are part of the display.

Chinese silk tapestry — kesi , or cut silk — gives the visual illusion of cutting threads that is created by changing shuttles between colors and wefts.

The craftsmanship was listed as a world intangible cultural heritage in 2009.

Tourists can to learn about sachet making and sip summer herb tea at the garden during the Dragon Boat Festival from today through Saturday.Closing has been extended to 7:30pm during summer.