On the early morning of July 9, staff members of the Museum of Dr Sun Yat-sen were delighted to find that the Sun Wen Lotus, which had been carefully tended for 8 years, bloomed for the first time since its return to Sun Yat-sen's former residence.

With layers of pinkish-white petals cradling pale-yellow stamens and emitting a delicate fragrance, the lotus flowers presented an air of quiet elegance and purity in sunlight.

The story of the Sun Wen Lotus dates back to 1918. To thank his close Japanese revolutionary friend Takashi Tanaka's selfless support, Sun Yat-sen inscribed 4 Chinese characters meaning "utmost sincerity" and presented Takashi Tanaka with 4 lotus seeds he had carried from his hometown.

In 1960, Tanaka's son invited Dr Ichiro Ohga, a renowned lotus expert in Japan, to cultivate the seeds with professional skills. The long-dormant seeds eventually germinated and flowered in 1962. The lotus was then named "Sun Wen Lotus" in memory of Sun Yat-sen.

In 2018, on the 100th anniversary of gifting the seeds, Leland Sun, Sun Yat-sen's great-grandson, received a Sun Wen Lotus rhizome as a gift in Japan. He later entrusted someone to bring it back to Zhongshan, where it finally took root at the Museum of Dr Sun Yat-sen.

From the moment the rhizome was planted, staff members of the museum began nurturing it with great care. After 8 years of waiting, the Sun Wen Lotus finally came into bloom this summer.