Photo taken on August 21st shows flowers of Pygmy Waterlilies blooming in a pond at a farm in Eryuan County. (Xinhua/Luo Xincai)

Pygmy Waterlilies belong to the water lily family. Its flowers are as pure and white as jade, and exceptionally beautiful. In Eryuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province, there is a Cibi Lake named after this plant. In the past, Cibi Lake was covered with numberous flowers of Pygmy Waterlily. However, due to the plant's stringent requirements for its living environment, its slow growth rate, and fish’s preference for it as food, it has become rare to find flowers of Pygmy Waterlily in the lake today.

In recent years, local villagers in Eryuan County voluntarily introduced and cultivated Pygmy Waterlilies in their courtyards with considerable success. The blooming period of Pygmy Waterlilies is from July to August each year. They start to open around 11 a.m. and reach their peak at noon, closing around 5 p.m. Flowers of Pygmy Waterlilies, blooming under the sun, are elegant and as pure as jade, resembling a picturesque scene. (Editors: Ines, Lexi)

Flowers of Pygmy Waterlilies in blossom. (Xinhua/Luo Xincai)