Lotus flowers blooms in Qintang district of Guigang, SW China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The administration of the park pays villagers 19,500 yuan ($2,780) a year for each hectare of pond area. In addition, each hectare produces over 30 metric tons of lotus roots, which are important ingredients in Chinese cuisine and offer villagers extra income. In Longfeng village, one of the villages where the park is located, the annual income per-capita last year reached 8,700 yuan, and infrastructure in the village has also greatly improved since 2014.

In 2018, the park was rated as an AAAA-level tourist destination, the country's second highest rating.