Planting a seed for the future

Overseas project

With rich experience in studying, renovating and protecting their beloved gardens at home, Suzhou residents also try to demonstrate their delicate aesthetics globally. Over 30 Suzhou-style classical gardens have been built worldwide since the 1980s, thanks to efforts by the Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture Design.

In 2020, Liu Fang Yuan, or the Chinese Garden of Huntington Library in Los Angeles, finally opened to visitors in its full scale. The garden, covering more than 60,000 square meters, is one of the largest and finest Suzhou-style classical gardens overseas. Its construction kicked off in 2006 and was conducted for five separate periods.

According to He, also its designer, the project is a combination of traditional Chinese craftsmanship and new ideas in building Suzhou gardens.

Air conditioning and floor heating systems were mixed in the design. Following anti-seismic requirements for local construction, the wooden components were replaced by steel frames, but wood was used to cover their surface to keep the original flavor.

"It's a meaningful attempt and thus created a new form of artistic expression," she says.

Zhou Furong and Lu Yujun contributed to this story.