Giant floating water lilies impress tourists in Xishuangbanna

Hundreds of thousands of giant green leaves floating on the water inside the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese academy of Sciences have attracted crowds of tourists to come to southern Yunnan province in recent days. 

Victoria cruziana, naming after the Queen Victoria of Britain, is a flowering plant which belongs to the big family of water lilies.  

"These 'king sized' tropical plants have been grown here since 1963," a research staff told us. "Due to their extremely wide leaves, each one can support a weight up to 60 or 70kgs." 

It is to say that many female tourists can safely step onto these water lily leaves without risks of falling off.  

The best time to view Victoria cruziana over a year is between June and October.