The moon-shaped door Photo : Réflexion Panoramic view Image panoramique 360o en QuickTimeVR (183 et 172 Ko) The Chinese garden is the fruit of bonds forged between the Parks Department of the City of Shanghai and the Montréal Botanical Garden. The thousands of pieces of material needed to build the garden were shipped from Shanghai to Montréal in some 120 containers. It took 50 Chinese craftsmen to assemble them all in 1990. The concept of the garden was the work of Le Weizhong, renowned architect and master landscaper and the then (during construction in 1990-1991) director of the Shanghai Institute of Landscape Design and Architecture.

The Chinese Garden Nestled in the heart of Montréal Botanical Garden is the Dream Lake Garden, an authentic Chinese garden inspired by the private gardens popular in the southern Yangzi River region during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). This garden is unique. Rustic and asymmetrical at first glance, it was nonetheless created according to a rigorous esthetic principle. It is both a place of contrast and harmony. The spatial organization and pavilions' architecture, the selection of plants and minerals, the water and the contrast of yin and yang are all expressions of the secular principles of the Chinese art of landscape design. Chinese gardens play havoc with perspectives and Western conventions. Their components are laden with great metaphorical meaning. A designer reproduces nature not by imitating it, but rather by interpreting it, by creating a three-dimensional portrait. Shapes and masses are used to achieve contrast and arouse emotion. The harmony of a Chinese garden is achieved by four major elements : plants, water, stones, and architecture.

THE ARCHITECTURE The Entrance Courtyard The two guardians The three stars The Friendship Hall The Sprintime Courtyard The Art of Penjing The Miniature Landscapes The Green Shade Pavilion The Tower of Condensing Clouds The Stone Mountain The Pavilion of Infinite Pleasantness The Stone Boat	THE ELEMENTS Water Stones Plants The Scotch pine The magnolia The azalea The chrysanthenum The tree peony The sweet osmanthus The bamboo
THE ACTIVITIES The activities The exhibition The Mighty Soybean The Magic of Lanterns	THE SOCIETY The Society of the Chinese Garden A VIRTUAL EXHIBIT Bamboo in Daily Life

| The Chinese Garden |
| The Architecture | The Elements | The Activities | The Society of the Chinese Garden |