Lotus Hill () is a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

Panyu Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, China, with Shizi Lake to the west. It covers an area of and has a peak above sea level. It is from the city of

proper and 60 nautical miles from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. It is now a 4A-level national park. The hill's name comes from the legend of a vicious dragon in the South Sea who raised winds and waves in the

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...

estuary flooding lands and capsizing boats, causing the local people to suffer. Mother Buddha came by and was furious at the dragon's behavior. She threw her lotus on which she sat into the water, thus the evil dragon was brought under control and the lotus turned into a mountain many years later. Hence its name — Lotus Hill. Lotus Hill is noted for its

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

quarry which formed steep cliffs, alcoves, and other fantastic scenes. There are two major activities in this area. One is the Lotus Festival which is celebrated annually from June to August. It is a grand gathering of lotus when more than 100 species are exhibited. The other is Peach Blossom Festival which is observed during the spring when the whole mountain is swathed in a blossom of pink flowers.

References

{{coord, 22.9789, 113.5045, display=title Hills of China Landforms of Guangdong Tourist attractions in Guangzhou