An annual lotus appreciation event and competition was held recently in Wuhan, Hubei province. The top 10 most beautiful lotuses were selected.

The city, known for its many lakes, invited its citizens to show off their homegrown lotuses and share their insights, tips and stories in planting the flowers, which thrive every summer.

Unlike previous years, this year's event was staged concurrently online and offline.

As most of the lotuses began being planted and grown when people were isolating themselves at home to avoid COVID-19, the organizers were hoping to hear their stories.

During the final competition, the stories — which were loaded with shared insights, tips and appreciative comments — split the total score.

The event received 227,000 online visits, and 18,600 people voted for their favorite lotus.

The city has 20 locations for lotus in its parks, and visitors can see most of the country's more than 1,000 varieties of the flowers, thanks to the city's lake conditions.

Donghu Lotus Park, where the China Lotus Research Institute is located, covers an area of 5.3 hectares and is home to more than 700 varieties of lotus, the most in the world.