CHINESE GARDEN

On the first week of August 2010, I decided to go out and discover some of the crooks and nooks of Singapore.  The one place that caught my fancy while googling on the internet is the Chinese Garden.  I am new in this country, being able to stay only a few months.  My best friend (who helped me to get in that country to work) reiterated to me not to go out alone because she was worried I’d lose my way.  But I acted courageous and tried to come out of my shell.  I thought, this is my first time to be out of the country so I might as well make the most out of it.

As soon as I set foot out of the Chinese Garden MRT station, I can already see the top of the 7-storey Pagoda.  I was so excited to see something different, something that is very out of the ordinary, far from what I usually see in my country and from what I usually see in the city of Singapore.

I was full of awe as I was strolling around the place.  What really amazed me is the bridge leading to the Japanese Garden.  I love bridges!  If a bridge connects two places, a bridge, for me, connects me into something unknown.  It is a mystery to me, all bridges are.

THE ARCH BRIDGE

Crossing this bridge takes me back to another era and to another world. It says a lot about the culture of the place where it was built from its beauty and architecture.

THE JAPANESE GARDEN

The Japanese Garden, also called Jurong Gardens because of its location in Jurong East, Singapore, is an artificial island in Jurong Lake connected to the Chinese Garden by a bridge.  The Japanese Garden was inspired by Japanese lanterns scattered around the place.  I stayed there sitting down on a bench for a few minutes.  I felt peaceful in that place and truly, the place can evoke emotions inside you.  It is a good place to be alone and contemplate.

I also liked this bridge because of its color and structure. However, I just wonder how Japanese women were able to cross such steep bridge when they are wearing their high heeled shoes. I remember a clip from the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” and I wonder how they are able to walk through this type of bridge. It is a talent as well as a skill.
If you would notice at the other side of the bridge, someone is wearing an anime costume. They were having photoshoot when I arrived at the place.

THE RED BRIDGE

Upon approaching the Garden through the East Entrance, this is the Red Bridge that will lead you in. It symbolizes good luck for the Chinese.

The WHITE RAINBOW BRIDGE and the MAIN ARCH BUILDING

This is also called ‘Pai Hung Ch’iao’ Bridge.  It is a 13-Arch Bridge which follows the style of the 17- Arch Bridge in Summer Palace in Peking.  This bridge leads to the Main Arch Building, which is the typical Chinese Arch Building.

STONE LION

In Chinese, the lion is believed to be an animal representing authority and fealty.  Thus, two stone lions are guarding the main gates of the Garden.  They are skillfully sculptured from Taiwan-imported marble stone.

THE 7 STOREY-PAGODA

The Pagoda is the signature architectural building of the Chinese.  In the ancient times, it used to be a simple tower located near a temple.  They were used to house human bones by Buddhists.  The 7-storey pagoda seen in a small hill in the center of Chinese Garden is called “Ru Yun Ta” which follows the style of Ling Ku Temple Pagoda in Nanjing.

I enjoyed sight seeing at the top of this Pagoda because you’ll be able to see almost the whole place from the White Arch Bridge to the Bonsai Garden, Stone Boat and Tea House to the HDB houses outside the garden from a far.  However, you have to climb like a hundred steps before you can get at the top.

BONSAI GARDEN

The Suzhou-style Bonsai Garden was intricately landscaped where different types of bonsai plants from China and from all over the world are pruned, kept and taken cared of.

The Bonsais I saw here were pretty much alike with the ones I saw at Singapore Botanic Gardens but the landscaping and the beauty of the environment around surpass the one from the SG Botanic Gardens.

PAVILION, PLATEAU, TOWER

The Chinese Pavilion, Plateau and Tower represent the soul of the Chinese gardening art.  The buildings are linked with plants, rocks and winding stream and footpaths to create what they so called poetic scene.

THE CONFUCIUS STATUE

This is statue of Confucius who is a Great Philosopher and Educator.

THE STONE BOAT

This is another traditional famous Chinese Architecture.  The style of “Yao-Yueh Fang” (Stone Boat) in the Chinese Garden is based on an adaptation of the Peking style design.

THE TEA HOUSE

The “Ming Hsiang Hsieh” (Tea House) is a miniature structure following the style of the elaborate, winding gallery at the Summer Palace.

THE TWIN PAGODAS

THE LIVE TURTLE AND TORTOISE MUSEUM

You can see here the largest collection of tortoises and turtles which includes over 1,000 live specimen collected by Connie and Danny Tan.  A highlight of the museum is it exhibits exotic types of tortoises where on one in every few million of these rare species will survive.

FISHES PARADISE

Here in Fishes Paradise, Koi fishes are housed and being taken cared of.

GARDEN OF ABUNDANCE

The Garden of Abundance consists of 100-year old pomegranate trees from Shantung, China, the 12 Chinese Zodiac animal sculptures, a sundial, and stone bridges which have meanings of longetivity, abundance and fulfilment.  This scenic spot was designed according to Chinese tradition and folk culture.

Fortunately, I was able to get home safe and sound and I enjoyed the adventure a lot.  I wanted to share some of the pictures I took while strolling at the garden for that whole afternoon.  I hope you enjoyed looking at them.  I am not sure if my shots give justice to the place but this is the best I can come up with.

(Some of the information were taken from Wikipedia.)

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Tags: Arch bridge, architecture, Bonsai Garden, bridges, chinese garden, chinese zodiac, Confucius, Fishes Paradise, Garden, Garden of Abundance, japanese garden, Jurong East, Jurong Gardens, Jurong Lake, Ling Ku Temple Pagoda, main arch building, pagoda, pavilion, plateau, Red Bridge, SINGAPORE, Stone Boat, stone lion, Summer Palace, sundial, Tea House, tower, turtle and tortoise museum, twin pagodas, white rainbow bridge

• April 24, 2012
• EXPERIENCES, PHOTOGRAPHY, SINGAPORE
• 8 Comments