An ancient lotus blooms at the Lishui Museum. [Photo/WeChat account: wxlishui]

An ancient lotus seed dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) has once again bloomed this summer at the Lishui Museum in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province.

Wu Donghai, a former researcher at the museum responsible for nurturing the blossom, said: "This is the first blossom of the ancient lotus this year. I believe more buds will emerge after another period of cultivation."

An ancient lotus seed generally has a lifespan of 830 to 1,250 years, making it one of the longest-living seeds in the world. The seed at the Lishui Museum was discovered during the dredging of the Qinhuai River in Nanjing in 2017.

According to Wu, the seed was planted in 2019 and bloomed for the first time last year.