A tourist visiting Nanjing has landed himself in hot water after deciding that a double lotus he spotted in Xuanwu Lake Park would make for a good momento of his time here; he was picked up by law enforcement offers and fined ¥200.
If anything has enjoyed the past month of continuous rain and humidity, it would undoubtedly be the lotus plants in Nanjing’s Xuanwu Lake Park. This year, the dank conditions have given rise to an unusually high number of double lotus plants.
The double lotus, also known as a lotus twin, or the Bingdi lotus (并蒂莲) is a rare find indeed, occurring when two lotus flowers grow on one stalk. Regarded in Chinese culture as the “gentleman among flowers”, Chinese gardening website yy.yuanlin.com notes the Bingdi lotus as being auspicious, joyous and the embodiment of both kindness and beauty.
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As such, the flowers have been drawing camera-wielding locals in their droves, who gather on the lake banks hoping to spot and snap one of the illusive plants amid a watery meadow of their singular cousins, making Nanjing’s Bingdi lotus one of this summer’s internet celebrities (网红).
For one man, an out-of-towner surnamed Cao, it was too much to resist. On 26 July at about 2pm, Cao jumped into the lake and broke off the twin-headed bulb of one of the flowers. Conspicuous for being soaked from the waist down, Cao was an easy subsequent catch for the police in the area on duty at the time.
The security of the twin lotus flowers has in fact become such a concern, law enforcement have taken to cordoning off the plants with the kind of police line that normally preserves crime scenes.
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One police officer told reporters from Purple Cow News that they have also increased their vigilance and strengthened law enforcement to the extent of patrolling the surroundings 24 hours a day.
As to the fine, some of the general public have commented that ¥200 is a paltry sum when compared to the crime of ransacking part of Nanjing’s cultural heritage. In response, park officials commented that they may only impose fines in accordance with the scenic area’s regulations.
The twin lotus flowers are to be seen on the southern side of the Moon Shadow Bridge (月影桥) that joins the islets of Yingzhou and Huanzhou, easily accessible from Xuanwu Men, while more can be found by the lake via the entrance at Jiefang Men.
