Kulture with Kyle 1: Portland's Chinese Garden

I went to a Chinese Garden in Portland that was amazing!

The tour guide was fabulous and explained the difference between the tradition English garden we are accustomed to and the Chinese garden.

The main difference is that the Chinese look for focal points in their gardens. They accomplish this by positioning windows and doors in such a way that shows exactly what the gardener wants the viewers to see.

Gardens exist in China as part of the private residence of the wealthy. The complex is surrounded by a wall so neighbors cannot see in and there is no centralized “house” like we have. Each room is a separate building connected by a walkway or bridge. In the center of the complex is a koi pond.

The rocks that are throughout the complex were all brought in. Rock farmers who go out and find the rocks prepare them and if the rock has potential they put the rock under water for ten through fifteen years for them to ‘age’. After the years they are removed from the water and checked to see if they are ‘good rocks’ if they are not they are put back in the water for another decade or so. It is common for these rocks to be past down for generations and the oldest garden is over 1000 years old.

In the tea-house I spoke with my waiter as a guy plays classical Chinese music on the erhu. I decided green tea was the way to go and he suggested the dragonwell. Natively known as the Long Jing. The waiter had to teach me how to drink the tea. You either push the leaves back or use the top as a filter.