Step through the door on Northwest Everett Street and the city simply melts away. Lan Su Chinese Garden, a walled Suzhou-style garden in the heart of Old Town Chinatown, is Portland’s most transporting acre, a place of pavilions, poetry and perfectly still water.
The garden opened in 2000 as a gift of friendship between Portland and its sister city, Suzhou, China, famed for classical gardens perfected during the Ming Dynasty. More than 70 Suzhou artisans traveled to Portland to build it by hand, assembling carved woodwork, scholar’s rocks and intricate pebble mosaics shipped across the Pacific.
At its heart lies Lake Zither, ringed by the Tower of Cosmic Reflections teahouse, covered walkways and pavilions with names like Flowers Bathing in Spring Rain. More than 400 plant species, many native to China and some found in no other American garden, change the scene with every season, from winter camellias to summer lotus.
Docents delight in pointing out the garden’s designed views, each window framing a painting. Come for an hour of calm, stay for tea above the lake. It is the peaceful soul of downtown Portland, and a jewel Happy City News recommends to every visitor.
