The Hong Kong Lotus Festival, jointly organized by Po Lin Monastery, Institute of Horticulture (Hong Kong) and Sing Tao News Corporation, is a 12-day lotus flower show with an array of activities for locals and visitors to experience the heritage and charm of traditional Chinese culture.
The third Hong Kong Lotus Festival, held from now until 2 July and encompassing Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha, is a visual feast of 400 lotus varieties in over 6,000 pots, together with 100 species of colorful water lilies and aquatic plants.
The festival also features more than 100 events that blend Buddhist wisdom with natural healing to demonstrate the beauty and harmony of lotus flowers. Highlights include photography competition, Chinese calligraphy and painting, magic show, Chinese music performance, tea ceremony, singing bowl performance, meditation, copying the Heart Sutra, and lectures hosted by artists from mainland China.
In addition, the festival consists of six sensory immersive areas: visual feast, aromatherapy, touch interaction, lotus sound therapy, lotus tea tasting and Zen space. Through multi-sensory immersion, participants can embark on a journey of physical and mental healing.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Venerable Jing Yin, Abbot of Po Lin Monastery, said, “Po Lin Monastery, also known as the ‘Holy Land of Lotus’, is surrounded by mountains and resembles a lotus throne. Although it is difficult to grow lotus in Hong Kong, lotus is indispensable in the monastery.” As the lotus flower grows from the mud without being soiled, it symbolizes uprightness in Chinese culture. For this reason he decided to organize the lotus festival to promote Po Lin Monastery and the lotus culture to the world.
The festival has gained steadfast support from Thailand since its inception with a sponsorship of 200 water lily seedlings this year, according to Chaturont Chaiyakam, Consul General of Thailand in Hong Kong. “The lotus is regarded as a noble flower in Thailand, symbolizing physical and mental purity and spiritual enlightenment. We hope to introduce Thai culture to Hong Kong through these magnificent lotus flowers.”
Tracy So, Executive Deputy General Manager (Advertising and Business Development) of Sing Tao News Corporation, pointed out that this year’s lotus festival is larger and more comprehensive, thanks to the success of the past two years, gaining widespread attention and earning fame as a cultural highlight of Hong Kong. She said, “The goal is to make the Lotus Festival an annual cultural event in Hong Kong and a benchmark event in the Greater Bay Area, contributing to the economic revitalization of Hong Kong and the cultural integration of the Greater Bay Area.”
Honorary President of the Institute of Horticulture (Hong Kong), Choy So-yuk, said, “The Lotus Festival has become a cultural event brand for three consecutive years, delivering the essence of Chinese culture through the lotus flower. Despite the typhoon which recently hit Hong Kong with strong winds and heavy rains these days, the lotus festival still shows strong vitality.”
Date: From now until 2 July (Wednesday)
Venue: Po Lin Monastery
Admission: Free
