The South China National Botanical Garden was officially renamed at a ceremony in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, on Monday to mark its new status as one of two national botanical gardens in China. Photo: CCTV

Covering more than 300 hectares (741 acres), the garden is home to 1,700 species of plants, including the Mucuna birdwoodiana, a state-protected Chinese plant. Photo: VCG

A tropical rainforest greenhouse occupies part of the garden. As of now, there are 38 specific plant gardens, three research centers, one herbarium, two field stations, and multiple research laboratories in the botanical garden. Photo: CCTV

Fireflies light up the garden at night. Founded in 1929 by the famous Chinese botanist Chen Huanyong, the garden hosts one of the oldest botanical research and protection institutions in China. Photo: VCG

On April 18, China inaugurated its first newly designated national botanical garden in Beijing, located at the foot of Xiangshan in the capital’s western outskirts. Photo: VCG

The garden holds more than 30,000 plant species and 5 million representative plant specimens from across the world, including the giant waterlily. Photo: VCG

Each year in the early spring, up to 70 types of peach trees bloom across the garden. Photo: VCG

During the winter, clusters of wintersweets, a popular ornamental plant in China, can be seen in the garden. Photo: VCG

Covering an area of 600 hectares, the garden consists of two parts, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, known as the South Garden, and the Beijing Botanical Garden, known as the North Garden. Photo: VCG