The Licun River in Licang district, Qingdao, offers a perfect chance to enjoy lotus flowers. Always simple but elegant, the flowers are now in full bloom in the scorching summer. [Photo by Yang Zhiwen/Guanhai News]

The Licun River in Licang district, Qingdao is dotted with flourishing lotus flowers, which have attracted many visitors and shutterbugs. [Photo by Yang Zhiwen/Guanhai News]

In traditional Chinese culture, the lotus flower, widely loved by Chinese people, stands for purity and nobility. [Photo by Yang Zhiwen/Guanhai News]