Botanica ready to open its Chinese Garden of Friendship
By Annie Calovich - The Wichita Eagle Home & Garden - May 29, 2015Visitors to Botanica can be transported to another continent in the new Chinese Garden of Friendship that will officially open there on June 5.
With its moon gates, foo dogs, roof beasts and 87-foot dragon, the garden is a tribute to Wichita’s sister city in China, Kaifeng (pronounced kye-FONG).
The traditional scholar garden of a third of an acre has plants, of course, but the emphasis is on structures, art, water and creatures – including real koi fish in the pond that have already spawned. The elements have been selected to reflect Chinese culture, including its spirituality and mythology, geography and history, language and art.
“People are amazed at the cultural impact, and that was our goal,” said Marty Miller, director of Botanica. Members of Wichita’s Chinese community were involved in the planning, and Miller visited Kaifeng in 2012. “That’s why we chose the scholar garden. Scholar gardens are pretty prevalent in Kaifeng.”
Read the full article by Annie at www.kansas.com.
