Tender loving care from a devoted expert takes root over the years

Touring a lotus park with Qian Ping can be compared to following an obstetrician on hospital ward rounds.

As the 60-year-old botanist strolls past each of the 80 or so ponds at the Quyuan Fenghe park in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, she casually points to the budding flowers. She can tell the exact date - sometimes even the time - that they are going to bloom, just like a doctor giving an estimated date of delivery, albeit without an ultrasound scan.

"If you have spent half as much time with lotuses as I have, you will get to know this as well," quipped Qian, who has devoted more than half of her life to their study and cultivation.