Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

As we all know, Vancouver is a city that is full of diversity. The Dr Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society was incorporated in 1981 as a non-profit organization established to maintain and enhance the bridge of understanding between Chinese and Western Cultures, promoting Chinese culture generally and be an integral part of the local community.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen classical Chinese Garden, located in Chinatown, Vancouver, was built in 1985, funded by all levels of Canadian government, private individuals, corporations and the Chinese government.  52 craftsmen from Suzhou, China worked with Canadian to complete this massive project within a year. All the materials used to build the Garden were shipped from China, even the little pebbles. Because the climate in Vancouver is similar to Suzhou, many of the same plants varieties are found in the garden and in Suzhou.  The halls and walkways of the Garden are constructed with precise joinery, without the use of any nails, screws or glue. The Garden first opened up on April 24, 1986 and it is the first full sized Chinese garden built outside of China that follows old garden tradition of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The Garden’s resembles the private spaces within a Ming scholar’s residence; where it is filled with energy but also offered quiet moments for contemplation. It consists of four main elements: rock, water, plants and architecture. Together, these four elements combine to create a breathtaking experience of perfect balance of yin and yang, creating harmony.

The garden is named in honour of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, a nationalist leader in China who is  considered as "Father of Modern China".The decision of having the garden named after him is not out of the blue, it is due to the connections that he had with Vancouver. While he was traveling the world to raise awareness of Chinese rationalist movement, he stayed in Vancouver for 3 different occasions for an extended period of time. At that time, there was significant presence of Chinese nationalist in British Columbia that helped finance the XinHai Revolution; which lead Dr. Sun Yat-Sen to become the first president of the Republic of China.