Asian Geographic 3 - 2016 SG

06 A THOUSAND EMER ALD LAKES

05 Azalea blooms at Mount

Guifeng in Macheng,

northeast of Hubei

06 Lotus roots are eaten

raw in Hubei as they are

crunchy and sweet

The Chinese love lotus

very much. They call it the

“gentleman’s flower” because

it grows out of the mud but it’s

beautiful, pure and unstained

is 74 kilometres long going round in a

big circle. With the stunning view it’s the

perfect site for cycling events, and there

are competitions held there every year.

Talking about food, Hubei cuisine is

not really well known outside the province,

but there is one cooking ingredient that

is most used here. The Chinese love lotus

very much – they call it the “gentleman’s

flower” because it grows out of the mud

but it’s beautiful, pure and unstained.

In summer time, the lakes and ponds

in our village are full of lotus flowers

and their big green leaves. However, the

villagers grow lotus not for its beauty,

but for its root and seed. Lotus root is a

very important and a common cooking

ingredient in Chinese cuisine. The best

lotus root is found here in Hubei.

Since I left Hubei, I’ve lived in

Chengdu, Thailand, Singapore and Japan

for many years, but I’ve never seen people

eat raw lotus root. In Hubei, we eat them

fresh and raw in the winter because it’s

crunchy and sweet. We also make use of

the lotus leaves; it is placed under a bun

before we steam it, so it will absorb the

06

05

Jack/Flickr