A pair of twin lotus flowers in Pingyuanchi village in Rugao, Nantong. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A pair of twin lotus flowers was spotted in Pingyuanchi village in Rugao, Nantong on Sept 3.

The flowers are growing in the same lotus pond where two pairs of twin lotus flowers were spotted last year.

Twin lotus flowers growing on a single stalk is a rare sight and cannot be achieved through artificial cultivation. According to traditional Chinese culture, it symbolizes good luck, conjugal love and felicitous marriage.

"The news of the twin lotus flowers from last year attracted many tourists from Zhejiang, Anhui, Henan and Shandong provinces," said Hu Zhiyong, an official of the village.

Pingyuanchi is famous for its long history of growing lotus. Last year, the village introduced 60 hectares of new lotus species.

The village has also developed a lotus industrial chain involving sightseeing, sales of lotus flowers and the processing of lotus seeds, seedpods, and tea made of lotus leaves.

"The twin lotus flowers embody our prosperous life," said a villager Liu Huanye.

The village has floral scenery all year round - peony in spring, lotus in summer, chrysanthemum in autumn and plum blossoms in winter. Its nine scenic areas have formed a tourism industry valued at 100 million yuan ($15.49 million).

According to Liu Weijian, Party secretary of the village, Pingyuanchi has held lotus flowers festival for five years in a row and attracted about 800,000 people. The per capita income from tourism exceeded 6,000 yuan last year.