Lan Su Chinese Garden, in front of you, is the most authentic Chinese classical garden in the Western Hemisphere. Lan Su Chinese Garden was constructed in 2000 as a collaborative project between Portland and its sister city Suzhou, China — the city historically known as the home of Chinese garden design. Sixty-five master artisans from Suzhou came to Portland to build the garden using traditional techniques and materials, including Lake Tai rocks shipped from Suzhou and hand-carved wooden screens and pavilion structures assembled without power tools.
The design follows the principles of the Ming Dynasty scholar's garden: a composition of lake, rocks, plantings, and architecture intended to create the illusion of a natural landscape in a compressed urban space, while providing a setting for contemplation, poetry, and tea ceremony. The garden's name, Lan Su, combines characters from the original Chinese names of Portland and Suzhou, making it linguistically a bridge between the two cities. At 40,000 square feet, Lan Su is the most complete classical Chinese garden outside of China.
The teahouse in the garden serves traditional tea service using water heated over charcoal. In a neighborhood whose Chinese history dates to the 1850s and was for decades invisible in the built environment, the garden is the most visible assertion that Portland's Chinese heritage is worth preserving and celebrating.