Page A6
July 12, 2000
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Garden from page 1
percent o f the park in the form o f an
8,000 square foot lake. The important
relationship with water is illustrated
by the Locking the Moon Pavilion. It
will stand across a zigzag bridge in
the center o f the lake. The pavilion
will be close enough to the water that
you will clearly be able to watch the
moon bounce its reflection from the
night’s sky into the lake.
Lan Su Yuan incorporates cultural
and artistic elements such as mosaics,
poetry, paintings and calligraphy.
Hand-placed, stone mosaics decorate
many o f the ground surfaces with
floral and other designs.
Several o f the structures within the
garden have couplets inscribed on
the walls. These inscriptions have
been done by a handful o f famous
Chinese calligraphers. The front
gates o f the garden read, “ Most
cherished in this mundane world is a
place without traffic; truly in the midst
o f a city there can be a mountain and
forest.”
Crafting this five-century-old style
o f garden was an involved and time-
consuming task. “The overall riding
problem is fitting inapieceofdesign
that is really Ming dynasty into the
twenty-first century,” said Ngan.
The American construction team was
responsible for ensuring that the
stru ctu re met Portland building
codes. Most o f their work was behind
the scenes. They laid the foundation,
inserted steel poles into the clay
pillars and saw to it that Lan Su Yuan
would resist a possible earthquake.
“Our American construction team has
done an incredible job, and no one
will ever see it,” said Tonkin.
Controversy briefly passed over the
garden when the Oregon Disabilities
Com m ission argued to make the
teahouse wheelchair accessible on
both floors. Initially the building was
legally allowed to be built without an
elevator, because both floors are
aesthetically similar. The Oregon
Disabilities Commission appealed
and won. The teahouse will now be
equipped with a two person, internal
lift
The work involved in putting together
Lan Su Yuan required a mesh o f
modem and ancient, Chinese and
American construction techniques.
“You wouldn’t see this level o f work
done without the collaboration,” said
Ngan.
The Chinese artisans are using tools
and carving styles that date back to
17,h century. M odem power tools are
rarely used, and only with jobs that
d on’t involve much detail. Most of
the craftsmanship is done by hand.
In one instance, when a shipment of
granite column bases arrived, a base
was broken. An artisan gathered his
tools and returned to his workstation.
He came back with a granite column
base identical to the others.
The garden is one o f many designed
by Kuang Zhen Y&n, president and
se n io r a rch itect o f the Suzhou
Institute o f Landscape Architectural
Design. He has practiced in the fields
o f Chinese and T ibetan architectural
and landscape design for more than
30 years. “I think he views this as a
m asterw ork o f his career and it
certainly reflects it,” said Tonkin.
“There isn’t any area o f detail that
hasn’t been attended to.”
For many years the garden project
has been in the works. In 1986, former
City Commissioner Mike Lindberg
got the idea o f a Chinese garden while
he was visiting a classical garden in
Suzhou. He believed it would be a
beautiful addition to the city that
would help our business relationship
with China.
Old Town businessman Bill Naito
believed in the project, and helped
with the fund raising effort. Right
before his death in 1996, he asked
M ayor Katz to finish the garden.
For the most part, lack o f money had
slowed the project down. Mayor
Katz has been a vocal advocate o f the
garden, and has been present at many
ofthe fund raising events. She formed
the Classical Chinese Garden Trust,
and started them off with $2.95 million
from the Portland D evelopm ent
Commission. “This garden would
not be happening if it hadn’t been for
the championship and the leadership
that the mayor has brought to the
project,” said Tonkin.
The Classical Chinese Garden Trust
A dvertise in
has raised nearly 90 percent o f the
funds needed. D onations from
Northwest Natural Gas, Philip and
Penny Knight, Fred Meyer and many
others will help pay for the $11 million
project.
The project is still raising money with
the Raise the Roof Campaign. It is a
program where anyone can sponsor
a roof tile on one o f the eight pavilions.
Sponsors receive a certificate and
free entrance into the garden. The
tiles are sponsored at $33 and $99
levels, auspicious numbers according
to Chinese tradition. Through the
funds raised by these fund raising
(Elje J J o r t l a r t h (© h se rfie r
efforts the garden is nearly complete.
Many people are enthusiastically
awaiting Lan Su Yuan’s opening.
C onni D iack, p re sid e n t o f «the
P o rtla n d -S u z h o u S iste r C ity
Association, said: “ It’s like a baby is
going to be bom, a baby that has
been in labor for 13 years.”
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