Chinese Garden of Friendship
Sydney Australia

by newtown graffiti
(Sydney Australia)

One of our group is ethnicly Chinese, but you don't have to be to make a fine picture

One of our group is ethnicly Chinese, but you don't have to be to make a fine picture

One of our group is ethnicly Chinese, but you don't have to be to make a fine picture Water is an essential element, and it's there A boy - and carp The city is only a stone's throw away

While downtown yesterday I joined a group of photographers at the Chinese Garden. This is a magic place to spend a few hours (although access for people with limited mobility is very awkward).


The garden was constructed by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners in 1998.

It observes Taoist principles including the placing of the five elements: earth, fire, water, metal and wood.

The garden lies on the edge of Chinatown, at the eastern boundary of Darling Harbour Sydney Australia.

Is it a must-see?   Not for people who hurry from one tourist attraction to another, although you can hire Chinese costumes in which to photograph one another.

But for someone on a more extended hotel stay, who seeks a tranquil oasis in the middle of a noisy and busy city, it is an ideal place to spend an hour or two or three.

Suggestion: bring a copy of the Analects of Confucius, or Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and read, winding down beside a bubbling waterfall or tranquil lake.

Chinese Garden, Darling Harbour Sydney Australia

Comments for
Chinese Garden of Friendship
Sydney Australia

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Sydney's Chinese Gardens & a Good Book
by: Elle

Agreed. Sydney's Chinese Gardens are a wonderful place to visit. Sitting on the grass, on one of the benches dotted around, or in the teahouse with a pot of fragrant green tea at your elbow, they're the perfect spot to dip into your I Ching, read Lao Tzu or consider the Analects.

If you're a fan of a freer style of translation - more Arthur Waley than James Legge - then ask around in one of the good independent bookshops (or the Adyar Bookshop, 99 Bathurst Street, Sydney) for the Analects as translated by Simon Leys. This is the pen name of Pierre Ryckmans, a sinologist (Chinese Shadows), novelist (Death of Napoleon) and more. He was born in Belgium but has lived in Australia for many years. It is the most spare, elegant and accessible translation I've come across - a real joy to read.

I wish there were as good a translation of the Daodejing - I've still never found a single really satisfying one. I've cobbled one together for myself, choosing bits from different translators - it does the job, but I'd love to be knocked out by a really great new version.

Anyway, whether you take a book or just wander around, the Chinese Gardens are worth a visit. And keep an eye out for concerts or other events being held there - less peaceful and relaxing perhaps, but they can be fun too.

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