Chinese Gardens Write Up

My walk got off to an awkward start as I tried to obtain a student ticket using only Chinese. I took out my Chinese Student ID card and she didn't understand until somehow she was able to recognize the characters for "Da xue," which means "university." I obtained my student ticket and was on my way with my bubble tea (quick note: Bubble teas in China cost $0.40 not $3.50!!!). After entering the gardens I stuck to my first rule of going in a counterclockwise direction. The entry doors to the garden reminded me of traditional Chinese doors, especially a pair I took a photograph of in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The garden itself had a lot of general/typical Chinese culture cluttered into a very small space. The garden itself certainly resemble Hangzhou/Suzhou, which are both nature/water towns. The bridges and the majority of the architecture were spot on, and I started to recall specific areas/photos that the garden resembled. I started down a plant filled path, and the path instantly reminded me of the time I went on a hike through some tea farms. Although the scent was not the same, it helped me to recall the wonderful smell of fresh green tea leaves. The garden only had one full moon doorway, but it reminded me a lot of my favorite city, Yangshuo. There was also a small scale mountainous structure that resembled Mt. Huangshan. Every time I stopped for my two minute reflection I was able to point out a lot of things that reminded me of China, e.g. the roof tiling, and only a few things that did were not Chinese, e.g. plant life that one would never see in China...I could only assume because of the climate of Portland is why they used these plants in the garden. My favorite part of my walk was when I saw an empty pair of chairs with a table in between. I instantly remembered a pair of old men in the small town on Tunxi, who were taking in a mid-afternoon game of Chinese checkers. One of my favorite photos, the happiness this photo evoked was revitalized. One another one of my breaks I took a few pictures of a bridge that reminded me of a small garden we had at my university in Shanghai. A beautiful, small, tranquil place to study or talk. I wish I could have walked over the bridge in the gardens and be transported back to Fudan University, but unfortunately it did not happen....maybe next time! I feel like the Chinese gardens were an accurate portrayal of a lot of structures/landscapes you would in China, but not in one city. Overall, my experience in the Chinese Gardens was a positive one and my "China-withdrawls" were taken care of.