Antique Lan Yuan，everlasting milestone：a powerful witness to the China-New Zealand relations across oceans

By Tianyi Long | Posted:

2nd equal winner of A Distant Longing: Dunedin Chinese Garden Student Essay Competition

Lan Yuan, a classical Chinese garden established by joint efforts between outstanding Chinese architects and a group of Chinese descendants who are committed to promoting Chinese culture in Dunedin, New Zealand, has amazed both local inhabitants and admiring tourists by its antique outlook and exquisite decorations of pavilions, cobbled paths and transparent lakes. Named after the third character in the Chinese name for New Zealand as well as the flower of Dunedin's sister city Shanghai, Lan Yuan has evoked the enhancement of attention for Chinese contributions in Otago, and captured the patriotism and nostalgia of local Chinese by representing the ancient Chinese structures in traditional Chinese aesthetics.

A commemoration of history: the key role in saluting the hardships faced by Chinese migrants

While initially welcomed in the 1860s as gold miners, the first generation of Chinese migrants has made every endeavour to flourish from the goldfields and planting industry in Otago but often experienced less hospitable attitudes in the white-dominated society. Arduous as the tasks were, Chinese miners and gardeners (most of which originated in Canton) had revealed their hard-working spirit and gradually won the recognition of local inhabitants. With cumulative efforts by generations, the Chinese descendants consequently moved into a variety of white collar professions and became a component of great importance in every field of New Zealand society, especially in economy and politics.

Since the reform and opening up, China's rising wealth and impacts have become the focus throughout the world. Under such circumstances, the renaissance of Chinese traditions and culture was considered of great significance to rebuild a connection between the later generations of Chinese New Zealanders who had limited knowledge about Chinese culture and their homeland. Also for the sake of asserting the new generation’s identity, the idea of establishing a traditional Chinese garden as a monument of the Chinese dedications to the development of Otago arose and a relevant committee came into existence.

A creation of miracles: the joint efforts to construct and present an authentic Chinese garden

With a series of procedures in progress, joint efforts, such as fundraising, site selection and engineering support have been made step by step by delegates from the Gardens Committee, Dunedin City Council and Shanghai municipal government from the year of 1998. In order to set up a permanent landmark and restore an authentic southern Chinese garden, Yu Garden, which is a fantastic remaining garden in Shanghai since Ming Dynasty, as well as other agencies, has provided expert assistance and indispensable materials of prefabrication by consecutive field visits and long-distance shipment. Despite many climatic and economic hardships, LanYuan was open to the public in mid-2008 and became one of the classical Chinese gardens in the southern hemisphere. Located in one of the most centralised zones in Dunedin, Lan Yuan has boosted the local tourism and benefited the economic development to a large extent.

Strolling in Lan Yuan with the archaic pavilions standing by the transparent lakes, cobbled paths, small hills of stones from Lake Taihu , and flower plantings, visitors will feel at ease and soak themselves into the strong atmosphere of traditional Chinese culture.

A witness to future: the significant affirmations of Chinese New Zealanders’ contributions and bilateral relations between New Zealand and China

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and China in 1972, the bilateral relations of the two countries have developed rapidly while pairs of cities have built sister-city relationships. In this context, Lan Yuan has served as a key role to witness the historical connections, sister-city relationship between Dunedin and Shanghai, and has provided a super excellent platform for potential cooperation and reciprocal development relevant to education, culture and trades, etc. The frequent communication and exchanges have also facilitated the mutual learning and the consolidation of bilateral relations.

On behalf of traditional Chinese culture and wisdom to some extent, Lan Yuan has also propagated the influence of soft power and stimulated more Chinese cultural exports during the process of globalisation. Furthermore, it has made up for the vacancy in historical commemorations for Chinese contributions in New Zealand and enhanced the national identity of the new generations, which will be beneficial to strengthen the sense of national pride and confidence in the long run.