Classical Chinese Garden
The Coral Princess

       We are now into our second day of the "Trip to Alaska" and we
       spent the day continuing our tour of Vancouver.

       On this day we toured the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden which
       is the first full-size Chinese or "scholars" garden built outside of
       China, and is located in Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
       
       The mandate of the garden is to “maintain and enhance the bridge of
       understanding between Chinese and western cultures, promote Chinese
       culture generally and be an integral part of the local community.”

       The garden was built in 1985-1986. The outer park was designed by
       architects Joe Wai and Donald Vaughan, while the inner garden was
       conceived by Wang Zu-Xin as the chief architect, with the help of
       experts from the Landscape Architecture Company of Suzhou, China.

       Because the climate in Vancouver is similar to that of Suzhou, many
       of the same plant varieties are found in the garden as in its Suzhou
       counterparts. The plants were chosen according to their blossom
       schedules in order to emphasize seasonal changes, especially the
       “awakening” in spring. They are also selected to invoke the symbolic,
       historical, and literary meaning of each plant and are used sparingly,
       in contrast to western gardens, and provide color through all the seasons.

       The Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden employ philosophical
       principles of Feng Shui and Taoism, striving to achieve harmony and a
       balance of opposites. Craggy rocks, for example, are juxtaposed against
       delicate foliage. Water is also an important element of the garden,
       and the large pond offers stillness, sound, a reflection of the sky,
       and helps to unify the other elements. Fish and turtles live in the
       garden and also serve a symbolic purpose. Bats, dragons, and phoenixes
       are represented in objects throughout the garden. Numerous large
       rocks are strategically placed and are intended to represent
       mountains concealing and revealing park elements.

       The garden is named in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a nationalist leader
       who is considered the “father of modern China.” The attribution is not
       arbitrary, as it emphasizes his connection with Vancouver. While
       traveling the world to raise awareness of, and funding for, the
       Chinese nationalist movement, Sun Yat-Sen stayed in Vancouver on three
       different occasions for extended periods. At the time, there was a
       significant presence of Chinese nationalists in British Columbia,
       who helped finance the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing
       Dynasty in 1911. Sun Yat Sen subsequently became the first president
       of the Republic of China.
	   
       After a relaxing lunch we took our bags from the hotel and walked the 
       two or three blocks to the ship and boarded our cruise liner
       Coral Princess for the next seven days.