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Dunedin is famed for its fine gardens, so when the local Chinese community looked for a gift to present to the city for its 150th anniversary back in 1998, they decided on a garden.
At the time, Shanghai Museum officials were in the city presenting an exhibition at
the art gallery as part of the celebrations. As Shanghai is Dunedin's sister city, they offered to help.
Now, 11 years later, that present is finally ready to be handed over to the people of Dunedin.
The Chinese Scholars Garden dates back to the 7th century. It was a place of refuge for the advisers at the emperor's court. These respected men had huge responsibilities and their gardens provided a place of tranquillity where they could relax and reflect on their ancient culture.
The Chinese garden combines the main elements of wood, water, rock and plants. Rocks are the bones of the earth. Water is regarded as the garden's life. The Dunedin pond will soon accommodate 1000 fish but no carp as this species is banned in New Zealand.
The Dunedin garden, named Lan Yuan (Orchid Garden) features a central pond surrounded by many beautiful pavilions.
Thirty craftsmen took four months to build these graceful wooden structures in a Shanghai factory before being shipped to New Zealand.
It took 99 containers to transport every part of the garden from China. This included 970 tonnes of rock and 380,000 handmade tiles.
Sixty-three Chinese craftsmen spent a further six months in Dunedin turning a 3000sq m piece of wasteland into a magical place of serenity and beauty. All the wooden structures were assembled with the ancient technique of mortise and tenon (no nails are used).
This is the only truly authentic Chinese Scholars Garden in the Southern Hemisphere.
Willow, apple blossom, cherry blossom, magnolia and maple are just a few of the 94 plants named on the garden planting list. Bamboo, symbolising refinement, and pine, symbolising strength and resilience, are particularly important.
Lotus, a plant representing successfully coming through hardship (emerging from the mud unsoiled) will be added shortly. Banana plants are also welcomed because of the pleasing sound the leaves make in a breeze.
Lan Yuan is a visual feast. Structures rise and fall. Paths twist and turn.
Peering through a moon-shaped doorway, I study a small humped-back bridge teasing me forward. I look up to find a beautiful octagonal-shaped pavilion standing in the central pond's milky green water. A few steps on, I spot another graceful structure with wooden fireworks along its frontage.
Close by, a waterfall tickles a craggy rock face. Small caves beckon me to explore further. Above them, the steeply curving beams on another pavilion reach out like the petals of a lotus flower. The phoenix rising is to keep away bad spirits.
The careful positioning of every element, producing new vistas with every step, gives the illusion of endless space.
This is a beautiful place, worthy of the time and great care invested in its creation. I feel at peace and understand why the 7th-century Chinese scholars treasured these magical places of refuge.
This $7.5 million gift from the local Chinese community is destined to become another major attraction for Dunedin.