This month, Taihu rocks sent to us from Suzhou several years ago have been released from the confines of their crated captivity. Much like the large carp (the Dragon Seeker!) that is now swimming regally amongst the Luoyang tree peonies, the Taihu rocks were protected from harm in crates during construction of Knowing the Spring Courtyard. Now they, too, are set free. These picturesque garden stones that represent the themes of simplicity and spirituality in a garden are breathing freely now, providing inspiration and focus as they were originally meant to do.
When I visited the replica of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the International Garden Expo in Beijing last April (organized by SCG vice president Jim Dawson), I spoke with the Chongqing project manager Wang Jin about our Taihu rocks. He explained that Taihu rocks are recognized by a set of four important qualities: thinness (shou), openness (tou), perforations (lou), and wrinkling (zhou).
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| Wang Jin with SCG vice president Jim Dawson on tour at the Beijing Expo in April 2013 |
"As a natural element and irreplaceable component in garden art, the rock is considered an ideal representation for the beauty of garden culture. And within the understated appearance of Taihu rocks, there lies an intimate relationship with the local geographical character and a more profound influence from the philosophical theories in the traditional Chinese culture," explained Wang Jin.
If you haven't been to the Garden recently, you'll be surprised by the changes. The visitor center is gone, the fence between the Arboretum and the Garden has been removed, as has almost all of the old construction junk. Garden manager Bob Seely writes:
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| Garden manager Bob Seely |
"In the last couple of weeks we have uncrated the Taihu scholar stone and put it on display, begun a bamboo thatch fence around our remaining roof tile crates, removed much of the east construction fence in preparation for planting a screening plant barrier at the college property line, painted the container storage for our tools a subtle gray, completed a first pass at our peony database, and thinned about a third of the bamboo on the east side. Yes, we are on a roll!"
Go to the Garden and take a deep breath and be inspired by all that has been accomplished. We are different from most other public gardens. We are building and growing with passion and teamwork and almost entirely by volunteers. On May 3rd and 4th, we will have our second annual Peony Festival. Come help us prepare for this beautiful day. Come see the changing garden.