New Chinese ambassador impressed with Chinese Garden
AS ONE of his first official assignments since taking up his new post as ambassador of The People’s Republic of China to Jamaica, Tian Qi recently toured the Chinese Garden at Hope Botanic Gardens to get a firsthand view of the attraction, which has seen more than 18,000 visitors over the past three years.
The Chinese Garden, situated on 11 acres of land at the Hope Botanic Gardens, was officially opened to the public on August 19, 2015, and is a gift to the people of Jamaica from the government of the Republic of China.
The Chinese ambassador was joined on the tour by Lady Allen, patron of the Chinese Garden, together with Alfred Thomas, chairman of the Nature Preservation Foundation (NPF), operators of Hope Gardens, members of the board of the foundation and Julian Patrick, director, product development and community tourism at the Tourism Product Development Company.
Tour guide for the Chinese Garden, Christopher Creary, began the tour by welcoming the Chinese contingent in Mandarin, to the surprise and delight of the ambassador and his delegation.
Creary pointed out some of the 30 exotic trees from across the world in the space, including the Red Sandalwood, which is native of China. He told
the group that among the elements of the Chinese Garden which were imported from China were the slate, marble, glazed clay, and white and black pebbles, the latter of which are featured in the Northern Terrace depicting where the Chinese Emperor would have gone for his breathing exercises and relaxation.
The Chinese Garden was built in 17 months by a crew of 19 Chinese and 11 Jamaicans, under the supervision of the Embassy of the Republic of China.
On the invitation of the Chinese ambassador, the board of NPF is to submit a list of other features which the foundation would wish to add to the Chinese Garden, in keeping with the strategic plan the board has to enhance the overall Hope Botanic Gardens.
General manager of the foundation, Hugh Anthony Porter, with the support of the board and staff, has been charged with sourcing funds and corporate support to take the green space to another level.
“The attraction is very popular with school groups as well as individuals, all of whom are usually excited by the information imparted during the tour,” said Creary.
Following the tour of the Chinese Garden, presentations were made by Ambassador Tian Qi. Lady Allen received embroidered silk, while a tricoloured, glazed pottery in the shape of a horse was handed over to Alfred Thomas.
Speaking following the tour, Patrick said his organisation was excited about positioning the Chinese Garden as a tourist attraction, especially as there are plans to have cruise ship visitors stop over in Kingston, beginning in 2019.
“We will be developing tour packages for the Chinese Garden as one way of creating viability for the exotic space and highlighting the great heritage of the Chinese people in this country,” Patrick said.