Garden Spotlight: New York Chinese Scholar's Garden

Website: ​https://snug-harbor.org/botanical-garden/new-york-chinese-scholars-garden/
​Directions: ​1000 Richmond Ter, Staten Island, NY 10301

​Our guide informed us that the curving paths were traditional to Chinese gardens. Upon entering the garden space, we were met with a path of towering bamboo. The curve in the path creates a sense of mystery. ​Bamboo, being a strong material, is also symbolic of integrity, a quality that the scholar must aspire to achieve. As bamboo grows, it begins to bend; the taller you grow, the deeper you bow.

Bamboo sounds so peaceful in the wind.

View upon entering the inside of the garden.

The Chinese Scholar's Garden located in the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden was built by 40 Chinese artists and designers from Suzhou, China. This garden is one of two authentic Chinese gardens in the United States, built upon the style of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD). The materials needed to build the garden were shipped from China in 1998, with the garden opening to the public in 1999. Chinese gardens were usually named after it's creator's expertise. This garden, as I was told by my tour guide, focuses on poetry and literature with various calligraphies written on the walls focusing on the philosophies of nature.

Closed doors that led to the inside of a building inside of the garden.

A central feature of traditional Chinese gardens is the juxtaposition between stone and water. The two seemingly opposing forces somehow become harmonious as they are situated next to each other. The rigidity of stone balances the fluidity of the pond. 

Notice the green leaves contrasting with the white structure.

Rocks bordering the koi pond.

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Cut-outs are used extensively throughout the garden to create the illusion of space. Through openings, you feel as if the garden is bigger than it's actual size. It also prompts exploration as you want to see what's on the other side. These cut-outs also blur the lines between what is indoors and what is outdoors; they play with one another, feeding off of each other to create a balanced experience. These cut-outs also frame what the landscape designers wanted you to see. 

The leaves are crawling on the wall, almost too shy to touch the window.

These wooden fences were built like jigsaw puzzles, no nails or screws were used.

Throughout the garden, if you take a closer look at the wooden components you will notice small little notches that lock in together like a puzzle piece. Many of the wooden pieces were built in this way, refraining from the unnatural look of using screws and nails.

This window perfectly depicts the illusion of bringing the outside inside.

The outside interacting with the inside to allow for both spaces to bleed into each other.

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Focusing on nature is emphasized in this space with the overwhelming greenery that seems to overtake the entire space. Notice the black and white pebble flooring on the left-hand side, mimicking the symbolism of yin and yang to evoke a sense of harmony. Depending on where you are in the garden, each perspective is meant to look different. Some spaces look bigger when you are standing on one side than when you are standing on the other. 

The curved borders on top of the garden look like a dragon, symbolic of protection.

Intentional moments of mindfulness were built into the garden. For instance, these stairs (shown on right side) are purposefully small so that you need to watch where you are stepping, inspiring mindfulness. 

Stairs that comfortably fit the foot of a child, but not an adult.

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The Tea House

The tea house is unfortunately empty of most of its antiques. What remains are a few antique cabinets, a scroll writing desk, and some rocks. The view from the tea house overlooking the garden, however, is quite spectacular. It's a beautifully constructed space, that is definitely old-worldly in it's feeling. 

Just outside of the tea house is this mosaic made of pebbles as a gift from the 40 workers who built this garden. To merge the bond between the U.S. and China, broken Chinese rice bowls and broken American bottles were incorporated into this mosaic. The green glass of the trees are made from the bottles, whereas the cranes (unfortunately weathered away) were made from the rice bowls. There are coins outlining the mosaic, symbolic of prosperity. 

The mosaic binding two cultures together.

The Chinese Scholar's Garden is a contemplative and meditative space. The space invites you to be still, and to absorb the nature that surrounds you. The Chinese artisans who worked on the space definitely treated this project as a labor of love. The intentionality and detail in this garden is phenomenal.

I think the best photo I took to sum up the essence of this garden is the one below. Nature is at the forefront of this space. It's about appreciating the beauty of what's around you, and to truly absorb what it's trying to teach you. You can only understand the value of this garden if you slow down.

Nature always wins.