Added: Jan 31, 2012

From: manongmar

Duration: 2:34

http://bit.ly/umdbI2 Click the link on the left for great savings for Unforgettable Experiences and Unbeatable Deals http://tinyurl.com/86b4alx Get the cheapest airfare at CheapOAir http://manongmartravelsites.com/ Go see more of our Travel sites Lan Su Chinese Garden is one of Portland's greatest treasures—a powerfully inspiring experience that takes you through time, offering a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking. Ever changing, Lan Su always has something new to offer - by the minute, by the hour, and with the seasons. Enter the wonderland. The mission of Lan Su Chinese Garden is to cultivate an oasis of tranquil beauty and harmony to inspire, engage, and educate our global community in the appreciation of a richly authentic Chinese culture. One of Portland's greatest treasures, Lan Su Chinese Garden has provided a window into Chinese culture, history and way of thinking for the 1.4 million visitors who have entered its gates since its opening on September 14, 2000.  The rocks, called Tai Hu rocks are limestone mined from Lake Tai, a fresh-water lake near Suzhou. They are prized for their four virtues which are: the holes that allow life force to flow freely, the rough texture, their slenderness, and being top-heavy. Over 500 tons of rock was shipped from China for the Garden. Living Collection The living collections at the Lan Su Chinese Garden present hundreds of native Chinese plant species and forms. The Garden is home to more than ninety specimen trees, many rare and unusual shrubs and perennials, and signature collections that include Magnolia, Cymbidium, Camellia, Osmanthus, Rhododendron and bamboo. Many of these plants have a long history in traditional Chinese gardens while others reflect the efforts of relatively recent expeditions into China's hinterlands for wild-collected species virtually unknown in the West. Still others speak to the work of scientists and plantsmen to showcase desirable characteristics through breeding and selection of garden worthy hybrids and cultivars. Horticultural Mission Our mission in developing this unique and diverse living collection is twofold. As a botanical garden, we seek to create as much diversity as possible within a small footprint (only one city block). Our goal is to provide visitors with a microcosmic view of the wealth of China's native flora. As a purveyor of traditional Chinese culture, the Garden's botanical collections provide an invaluable tool for explaining customs and traditions rooted in human interaction with plants over China's lengthy and well-recorded history. To the monks who nurtured 1,000-year-old camellias behind the sheltering walls of aged temples and to the artisans, crafts people, and plantsmen who built the Garden and procured the plants, we express our most sincere appreciation. And to the citizens, east and west, who so generously gifted the garden with relevant species and private contributions, our heartfelt thanks.  Teahouses became popular in the Ming Dynasty and became a place for small performances of music, play or song. Inside the Lan Su Chinese Garden, the Tao of Tea is an authentic teahouse such as can be found during the Ming Dynasty. Light meals and snacks are offered along with numerous varieties of tea to suit every mood and season. music to song and poetry. http://www.lansugarden.org/home Royalty Free Music "Ripples": Kevin MacLeod

Channel: Travel

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