It began with a city councilor who wanted something to honor Portland s sister city relationship with Suzhou. The local Chinese community came on board to develop the idea of a classical Chinese garden. Finally, under the leadership of Portland Mayor Vera Katz, Lan Su Yuan opened in the fall of 2000. Designed by the Institute of Landscape and Architectural Design in Suzhou, Lan Su Yuan is an authentic Ming Dynasty work of art. A pristine white wall encloses the garden.
Latticed windows reveal small glimpses of the brick and steel structures in the city outside.
Elegant buildings surround a quiet lake. Visitors meander on walkways and over graceful bridges, discovering at every turn carefully planned scenes of plants, carved wood and stone. The design institute in Suzhou worked with a firm of American architects to blend the principles of classical design with U.S. laws and codes. Under Portland codes, the garden had to meet earthquake standards as well as feature an untraditional corner entrance. Under ADA, all areas had to be wheelchair accessible.