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Vancouver’s Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden celebrated its 40th anniversary on Friday, with the Ming Dynasty-inspired garden being hailed as an example of the city’s multicultural nature that brings people together.
One of the city’s most prized cultural areas, the garden sits in the heart of Chinatown and was constructed by over 50 master craftsmen from Suzhou, China, over the course of more than a year.
According to the garden’s website, the park came after the local Chinatown community fought to save the neighbourhood from being demolished to make way for a freeway.
Henry Heng Lu, the executive director of the non-profit that now runs the garden, told a news conference on Friday that it was the first authentic full-scale classical Chinese garden built outside China.
The garden is inspired by the Ming Dynasty and is constructed to resemble a scholar’s home. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“The garden is a vibrant multicultural community hub — where everyone can gather in this beautiful and serene urban oasis to celebrate our diverse heritages, foster connections and bridge generations and cultures,” Lu said.
First opened to the public on April 24, 1986, the garden is one of numerous legacies of Expo 86 — the world’s fair that the city hosted that resulted in the SkyTrain, Science World and numerous other landmarks.
The garden was constructed by over 50 master craftsmen from Suzhou, China. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The garden is named after Sun Yat-Sen, who is recognized as the father of modern China, and who visited Vancouver three times during the turn of the 20th century.
It was funded by a number of private and public organizations, including the Chinese and Canadian federal governments.
The master craftsmen who constructed it used hand-made tiles, stone pebbles and Nan and Ginkgo wood imported from China.
The garden was built over the course of 13 months, according to the non-profit that runs it. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Mike Harcourt, who was mayor of Vancouver when the garden was constructed, argued it was the most famous garden of its kind outside China.
He said it represents intercultural harmony and how Vancouverites cherish being with others of different cultures.
The garden features numerous ponds with koi and other fish. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“It’s about the mix of people that we have, and in particular the tremendous contributions that the Chinese community has given us in the province and in in the city — and of course right across Canada,” he said.
“It gives a number of really good messages about our city and our people.”
Former Vancouver mayor Mike Harcourt argues the garden is a prime example of the city’s multicultural identity. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
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