Classical Chinese garden is planned n America Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and China's Academy of Forestry conceived of the construction of a classical Chinese garden in the United States as a collaborative project that would enhance ties between their countries. In October 2004, U.S. and Chinese officials signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction and maintenance of the garden, which will be built on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) -- a division of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center under the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- once it obtains sufficient funding. Under the agreement, China will donate all of the garden's main structures, rockeries, furniture and art objects while the United States will provide foundations, ponds, some plants and long-term maintenance of the facility. After the two teams finalize the conceptual plans, architects and engineers will ensure that garden structures meet U.S. codes and accessibility standards. USNA Director Thomas Elias, who heads the U.S. design team for the garden, estimated the total cost of building the garden at $7 million. China's commitment to contribute the main structures for the garden is "significant," he said, and its willingness to lend experts to help construct the exhibit constitutes something "in the neighborhood of $20 to $30 million" in labor costs the USNA will not have to fund.
Once the USNA obtains sufficient funding for the project, the garden will take approximately three years to complete, the USNA official said. Other officials who are involved with the project include U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman; Under Secretary of Agriculture Joseph Jen; China's ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi; and Madam Jiang Zehui, president of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and the sister of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.
GARDEN TO BE MODELED AFTER CLASSICAL EXHIBITS IN CHINA Designers from the United States and China have been developing plans for the National Arboretum's classical Chinese garden modeled after exhibits in the Chinese garden cities of Zhangzhou, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Although the National Arboretum's classical Chinese garden will have an original design, it will strive like others of its type to recreate the soothing elements of nature through rock sculptures, plants from all four seasons, a 1.3 acre lake and unique architecture -- including a two-story teahouse, a boathouse, an exhibition hall for Chinese artwork and a pagoda. First designed by Taoist poets to provide a tranquil and meditative atmosphere, classical Chinese gardens became very popular with rich Chinese families in the Song and Ming dynasties. The lives of Chinese scholars, officials and poets also revolved around the garden, which provided them a temporary escape from the demands of public life.
GARDEN WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLANT RESEARCH The garden will also foster ties between the U.S. and Chinese governments by providing valuable research opportunities. According to Elias, the National Arboretum plans to cultivate select Chinese plants in the garden to test their ability to survive in the climate of the United States and will breed new and improved plant varieties in the garden for use as ornamental landscape plants. Elias, who facilitated the first exchange of plant species between the United States and China in 1977 and studied Asian botany and geology for many years, said China's rich flora and long history of garden development has had a profound influence on horticulture and garden design throughout the world.
With the construction of a classical Chinese garden, the National Arboretum will be able to educate visitors about distinctively Chinese botanical developments, he said. "Our hope is that [the classical Chinese garden] will become a center for learning about and appreciating Chinese gardens and, also, a center for cultural activities for Chinese Americans," Elias said. The National Arboretum currently houses a series of world-class display gardens and collections including the Asian Collections, Azalea Collections, the National Herb Garden and the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Additional information on the classical Chinese Garden is available at the National Arboretum. (Source: The Washington File, Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, August 12, 2005).