Location:
Xiang Jiang Pavilion 1600 Phalen Dr
The St. Paul-Changsha China Friendship Garden
St. Paul's Phalen Regional Park
St. Paul, MN 55105
Time of Event:
10 AM - 11:30 AM
Open to the public:
Members $0, Non-Members admission $27
FSIM is offering its members an exclusive private tour of Liu Ming Yuan on October 5, 2019. During the tour you will learn about the history of the sister-city relationship between St. Paul and Changsha, the history of the Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society, the history of Liu Ming Yuan and the role Feng Shui principles played in this project, the symbolism and meaning of the poetry found there, and the reason for including a Hmong Heritage Wall in this China Friendship Garden.
Liu Ming Yuan: The Newest Cultural Treasure in Your Backyard
Did you know that the Twin Cities is now home to "Liu Ming Yuan" - the St. Paul-Changsha China Friendship Garden of Whispering Willows and Flowing Waters at Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul, Minnesota? Liu Ming Yuan is a place for contemplation and meditation, a place to be artistically inspired (poetry writing, photography, painting), and a place for celebrations (weddings, birthdays, or afternoon tea with friends).
Liu Ming Yuan is the creation of the efforts of the Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society (MCFGS), a small non-profit that has worked tirelessly for more than a decade to realize its dream of building a China Friendship Garden in the Twin Cities. Liu Ming Yuan was officially opened to the public in July 2019 during a Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting ceremony attended by dignitaries from China, St. Paul, and the Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society. Construction in 2018 and 2019 on Phase I saw the completion of the beautiful open-air Xiang Jiang Pavilion, Hmong Heritage Wall, West Entrance Archway, and Donor Wall.
6 facts you should know about Liu Ming Yuan:
- Former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer traveled to Changsha in 1988 to sign the sister-city agreement between St. Paul and Changsha. That laid the foundation for a series of educational, business, and cultural exchanges over the years. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter will send a city delegation to Changsha in October 2019 to further strengthen this relationship.
- MCFGS became a 501(c)3 non-profit in 2005. Its mission was to build China Friendship Gardens based on the sister-city relationships with China after realizing there were 5 Japanese gardens and no China Gardens in Minnesota.
- Liu Ming Yuan is a collaboration initiated by the MCFGS, with the St. Paul Parks & Recreation Department and the City of Changsha and the Changsha Hunan Jianke Construction company.
- The Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society raised more than $1.1 million dollars over the last 2 years, mostly from individual donors to finance the constructions.
- The Xiang Jiang Pavilion, a replica of one of four famous pavilions in China, is a gift from the City of Changsha and Changsha's Yanghu Wetlands Park to St. Paul, and is the key landmark of Liu Ming Yuan.
- Liu Ming Yuan is a multi-phase multi-year project estimated at $7 million. Fundraising is ongoing to raise the final $250,000 to complete Phase I in 2019, which will including pathways, rocks with poetry, flowers and shrubs, flowering trees, etc.
1.5 CEU
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