Page A6 July 12, 2000 - (Ttie |)o rtlan b ©bseruer ÌJurtlanò 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. 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