by Xinhua writers Zhao Jiasong, Yuan Liang
SALFORD, Britain, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- After nearly eight years in the making, a Chinese garden described by authorities as the largest of its kind in Europe has opened in Salford, bringing a distinctive Chinese presence to the horticultural landscape of northern England.
At the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Bridgewater, traditional Chinese walls, timber pavilions, rockwork and water have been brought together in the Chinese Streamside Garden, which covers more than 7 acres (about 2.8 hectares).
Its centerpiece, the Yangzhou Scholars' Garden, draws on the classical gardens of Yangzhou in east China's Jiangsu province, with four pavilions representing the traditional scholarly arts of music, Go, calligraphy and painting. Chinese craftspeople used traditional techniques including mortise-and-tenon joinery, brickwork and stone carving in its construction.
Deciding what kind of Chinese garden would work in this particular corner of England took time. Tracy Snell, curator at RHS Garden Bridgewater, told Xinhua that the team visited gardens in China, including in Beijing and Yangzhou, before settling on the design.
"Each had its own beauty, but the garden at Bridgewater also needed to work with the existing woodland, planting and character of the wider site," she said, adding that the aim was to create a garden that was clearly Chinese while sitting naturally within its English surroundings.
During the opening ceremony of the garden on Friday, Chinese and British representatives jointly planted a willow as a friendship tree, whose parentage traces to China and Britain. Marcus Chilton-Jones, Head of Site at RHS Garden Bridgewater, said the tree was a fitting symbol for a garden shaped by years of cooperation between the two sides.
He also pointed to a local connection: the name "Salford" derives from the Old English "Sealhford," meaning a ford by willow trees.
Willows have long been a familiar motif in Chinese painting and classical gardens, and remain a common feature in contemporary urban landscaping across China.
Robin Garrido, ceremonial mayor of Salford, told Xinhua that the willow represented "peace and well-being" as well as the cooperation between China and Britain. "RHS Garden Bridgewater attracts large numbers of visitors each year, and the new garden would give people in Salford and elsewhere in Britain the chance to experience Chinese garden culture closer to home," he said.
According to RHS Garden Bridgewater, the planting itself changes with the seasons. Magnolias and cherry blossom appear in spring, while acers, ginkgos and euonymus bring autumn colour. Rhododendrons and primulas are already familiar to many British gardeners, though a number of the plants in the garden have their origins in China. Paths, walls, pavilions, rocks and water are arranged so that the view changes as visitors move through the garden.
For Greater Manchester's Chinese community, the project has also offered a chance to take part in creating something for the wider public.
Gerry Yeung, founding member of the garden's committee, told Xinhua that local Chinese residents had supported fundraising for the project from its early stages. They hoped the garden would help more people understand China's contribution to horticulture, while giving the Chinese community a greater role in local cultural life.
Chinese Consul General in Manchester Tang Rui said the project had overcome difficulties including cross-border coordination and differences in construction standards. He said the efforts had brought to Salford "a traditional Chinese garden that is the largest in Europe, the most complete in its overall design and the most authentic in its architecture," while "turning classical Eastern aesthetics from drawings into reality and allowing the British public to get close to Chinese culture without travelling far."
The opening also coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival. "It truly is a case of 'good things coming in pairs'," Tang said.
RHS Garden Bridgewater opened in 2021 on the 154-acre site of the historic Worsley New Hall estate in Salford. The Chinese garden project started in 2019, a year after members of Greater Manchester's Chinese community had joined the RHS in developing plans for the garden.
Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS, described the project as a "true partnership," combining Chinese craftsmanship with British horticultural and landscape expertise. She noted that many plants now familiar in British gardens originally came from China.
"The garden will also form part of the RHS's practical work on climate resilience, helping horticulturists consider which plants grown today will be best suited to the conditions of the future," she said. ■
