A RELAXING WEEKEND IN THE CHINESE GARDEN OF FRIENDSHIP

Hello dear friends, hope you are all well.

The first and the last time I visited Sydney's Chinese Garden was about thirty years ago when I had just arrived in Australia and slowly and steadily began exploring our new home.  Over the years the Garden underwent a massive transformation and as I was told by a friend of mine who recently took her overseas visitors there, looks very pretty and is definitely worth visiting.  

Isn't it fascinating how people go to great lengths, spend thousands of dollars and an enormous amount of their time to travel across the globe to see a special place they read or heard about while something truly beautiful is a short car drive away?  So, one Sunday morning we found ourselves walking along the winding path running between the trees and flower bushes and admiring the big fat Koi fish lazily swimming in custom built ponds of the garden.   

It sits on a heritage-listed site in Sydney CBD and is part of large recreational and pedestrian precinct called Darling Harbour and officially called the Chinese Garden of Friendship.  

 

We went there during the Sydney Lunar Festival - the biggest Lunar New Year celebration outside Asia, which offers an amazing array of events from night food markets to art exhibitions and installations to concerts and workshops. There is truly something for everyone to participate in and enjoy and its always attracts a huge attendance from locals and visitors alike.  

 

One installation that caught our eyes was the so called lucky MoonGates, designed by a local artist in partnership with the Chinese Garden ofFriendship.  As I stepped through the Moon Gates, I was fascinated by the rainbow of bright colours and motifs depicting the Rat zodiac including lilies which are considered the luckiest flowers for the Year of the Rat.

 

Despite the very dry summer season, high temperatures and recent bushfires that were raging across Australia for the past 3 months, the exotic trees looked brightly green and luscious, the wide variety of blooming flower bushes were saturated with bright colours of the rainbow.  The ponds, filled with big fat white and red Koi fish were clean and looked tranquil.  According to the guidebook, the design of the garden follows the principles of 'Yin-Yang' – the balance of opposing yet complementary forces – the harmonious five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water.  

 

Even though there were other people here and there obviously enjoying the beauty of this inner-city oasis, we experienced a feeling of calm, serenity and we felt at a piece with the world.

How do you like to spend yours?  Is walking in the park your cup of tea or you are an adrenaline junkie?

Anna
xoxo