Portland Classical Chinese Garden

Portland Classical Chinese Garden
Portland, Oregon

I had some free time to myself this afternoon, so I went to the gardens for quiet relaxation.
It was absolutely lovely.

Overview of the Garden
provided by portlandchinesegarden.org

Created to nurture and inspire all who visit, this Garden is little changed from what might have greeted you during the Ming dynasty in China. Portland’s is an authentic Suzhou-style garden. It grew out of a friendship between Portland and Suzhou, a city renowned for its exquisite gardens.

This walled Garden encloses a full city block. Serpentine walkways, a bridged lake, and open colonnades set off meticulously arranged landscape of plants, water, stone, poetry, and buildings. Architects and artisans from China who designed and constructed the Garden mean for each aspect of the Garden to convey artistic effect and symbolic importance.

The design embodies the duality of nature, yin and yang. When these are balanced, harmony results. The delicate balance in the Garden affects all your senses. Hear the sound of water dripping from the crescent-shaped tiles onto a banana leaf; enjoy the fragrance of jasmine or wintersweet; feel the sensation of each footstep on the mosaic stone paths.

The Garden unfolds a changing look by season. Each one as lovely as the last. It is home to hundreds of rare and unusual plants, nearly 100 specimen trees, water plants, bamboo and orchids. Taihu rocks symbolize high mountain peaks and frame a waterfall. Nine pavilions offer places to rest and contemplate. Couplets of poetry speak to the interplay with nature.

The yin and yang of the Garden take you to another place and time.

The Teahouse. Also called 'Tower of Cosmic Reflections.'

Moon-locking Pavilion (foreground), Teahouse (background).

Covered foot-bridge, end closest to Hall of Brocade Clouds.

Moon-locking Pavilion.

Moon-locking Pavilion.

Boat-shaped pavilion.

The windows, around the Garden and inside the walls, are called "leak" windows since they allow the visitor to see the view "leaking" through. There are 51 windows, each unique, in and around the Garden.

Waterfall.
Part of Rockery Mountain.

Waterfall close-up.

Peek-a-boo pomogranant.

Rub-a-dub-dub, pomogranant in a tub.

Not quite ready for picking. These ones are about the size of a baseball.

Pretty water lily.

Check out the wonderful reflections in the water that I captured of the bridge.

Water lily with fishies in the background.

Pretty.

Other fun water plants. Interesting pod shapes.

A lonesome bonsai pine. Pine trees signify antiquity.

A cluster of bonsai buddies.

Call me silly, but one of my favorite features of the garden is it's walking paths. Unfortunately though, I did not know I was able to walk barefoot on the rocks. So what if it was a bit damp and cold out, they would have felt wonderful on my feet.

I also think that the walking paths are going to make great inspiration for quilting layouts.

Lovely lotus flower embedded in the walkway.

Other Garden Facts

The Garden is one city block or approximately 40,000 square feet.

The lake, named Lake Zither, is about 8,000 square feet.

The free-standing rocks, called Tai Hu rocks are limestone mined from Lake Tai, a fresh-water lake near Suzhou. They are prized for their four virtues which are: the holes that allow life force to flow freely, the rough texture, their slenderness, and being top-heavy. Over 500 tons of rock was shipped from China for the Garden. More information on Tai Hu rocks and the five elements (stone, water, architecture, literature and the arts, and plants) of Classical Suzhou Gardens is available.

There are three types of wood used in the Garden. San-Mu (Northeast China Fir) is used for most of the beams and columns. Dong-Bei-Song (Northeast China Pine) is used for the largest columns. Yingxing (Gingko) wood is used for the pale yellow decorative carving in the Pavilions. Nanmu (similar to walnut) is used for the carvings in the doors and windows.