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Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland

After all the hustle and bustle of flights and layovers, I welcomed the quiet serenity of the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon.

View from tea sitting
Tour Guide

I was fortunate to be there in time for a guided tour. It was wonderful for her to share her passion and long history with the garden with us.

Water formed limestone rocks from China
Each gateway has a name and corresponds to the pattern on the ground

After the tour, I rested by the water and took some traditional Chinese green tea.

Tea time

When the calligraphy artist asked what I had in mind for him I said, “Two things. A dragon. Or something to do with self love.” I was expecting him to choose one or the other concept but he surprised me by combining them both into this piece titled Dragon Goes to the Sky. The title phrase comes from an I Ching story about a strong and confident dragon he explained.

Calligraphy artist hard at work on my dragon
Notice the craftsmanship of the structures, especially at the pedestals for the columns
Obligatory architectural detail