Huntington's 'Feeling Chinese' as it rings in Chinese new year

Many of the festivities took place in Huntington's beautiful Chinese Garden, part of a multimillion dollar, two-phase construction project still underway at the Huntington. The first phase, known as the Chinese Garden "Liu Fang Yuan" or "the Garden of Flowing Fragrance", is styled after historic imperial gardens in mainland China.

It was a joint international effort between American landscapers and contractors and Chinese designers and skilled artisans from Suzhou, the renowned garden city of southern China, designed to promote the rich traditions of Chinese culture.

"One of the significant things about Chinese gardens is that each pavilion, sculpted stone or bridge is named for a famous Chinese work of literature, poetry, philosophy or art," explained Curator Bloom.

"This makes Chinese gardens more symbolic and evocative of meaning, and provides deeper insight into the people who created it."

A Chinese garden, is like a scroll painting, presenting a series of carefully composed scenes. New vistas are revealed as one strolls along the pathways, with a number of key elements combining to create a sense of harmony and of beauty.

Ben Pitt, a Texan who moved to LA, told Xinhua. "I came today because I majored in Mandarin and spent a year in China teaching English and I miss the Chinese celebrations. Chinese cultural things like this garden and Tai Chi create a calm, meditative environment that really slows things down, so you can think about what really matters."

The blonde, blue-eyed Baker family with two youngsters in tow said, "We love the Chinese Gardens. We visit them regularly as a family. They are a special environment that is tranquil and inspiring. The design is stunning and the kids love exploring it."

Mickey Constansa from Burbank told Xinhua last Sunday, "It feels like this beautiful Chinese pavilion has come 'alive' during the festival. Usually when we walk through here, it's empty and we can only imagine how it was used. But to see it in action, used as intended by these performers, is pretty wonderful."

"We hope that people to come to the garden not just to relax or meditate, but to be inspired - to write poetry, play music, and create art," concluded Bloom, who hopes to showcase local artists in an Art Gallery to be built in the Chinese Garden during phase two this summer.