2010 Events
A Year of Events Celebrating 2010
Brought to the Community by Proud Title Sponsor - NW Natural
On September 14, 2010 Lan Su Chinese Garden turns ten. To commemorate this exciting milestone and honor our special relationship with our sister city Suzhou, we’re hosting a yearlong celebration--and everyone is invited. Beginning with ten free admission days and continuing throughout the year, we’re filling the calendar with events and surprises not to be missed. Be sure to visit our website or follow us on Twitter for more information on upcoming events and announcements. 2010 promises to be a year to remember.
Celebrating Ten Years with Ten Free Days
January 2 - 11
Ten days of free admission to the Garden (general admission is $8.50) in celebration of 2010, the beginning of the Garden’s 10th Anniversary.
Free Admission.
Chinese New Year - Year of the Tiger
February 14 - 28
An annual festival for families and children this celebration includes lion dances, children’s activities, martial arts, storytelling and demonstrations sharing the rich culture and history of Chinese New Year. This two week celebration culminates with traditional lantern viewing on February 28th. Throughout the festival, all visitors receive a red envelope, symbolizing good luck for the coming year.
Free with Garden admission.
For more information, visit the Chinese New Year page.
Festival of Fragrance
March 20 - 31
An overwhelming olfactory experience! Fragrant plants and flowers can be purchased at the annual spring plant sale, Chinese floral artistry can be learned using fragrant plants, aromatherapy will be explored from a Chinese historical perspective and heady lectures by plant experts, will teach how to bring fragrance to homes and gardens everywhere along with guided tours of Lan Su’s fragrant plants. A special camellia display featuring the exquisite cut blooms of the Oregon Camellia Society will also be presented.
Free with Garden admission.
For more information, visit the Festival of Fragrance page.
Tiger Time Spring Break
March 22 - 28
A week of escape filled with activities for children and families featuring the Tiger (2010 is the Year of the Tiger). Enjoy Tiger tales, make a Tiger mask, discover your Chinese fortune, try Tai Chi, learn to play mahjong and more. People born the year of the Tiger get into the Garden free!
Free with Garden admission.
For more information, visit the Tiger Time Spring Break page.
Colorful Kites of China
April 1- 30
China is the birth-place of kites and April in the Garden is time to revel in the color and culture of celestial kites. Enjoy viewing a renowned collection of ancient and contemporary kites, learn about Chinese kite history and learn how to make a kite.
Free with Garden admission.
Passion for Peonies
May 8 - 31
All peonies grown in the world have their beginnings in China where the large, brilliantly colored blooms inspired poets to draw associations with aristocratic splendor, opulence, robust sensuality and voluptuous women. During May, mothers and women are celebrated and the peony reigns. Tree and herbaceous peonies are for sale and growers give lectures on their history and cultivation. The Northwest Peony Society displays their blowzy blooms and floral demonstrations using peonies take place in addition to tours of the Garden’s peony collection. On May 27th, visitors are encouraged to “Bring Three (peonies) and Get in Free”, resulting in the Garden’s largest show of peonies ever.
Free with Garden admission.
Literary Series
May 31 - July 19
Lan Su presents a fascinating and diverse eight-week series of talks and workshops from a variety of authors. Dr. Charles Wu begins the series on May 1 with his talk “Introduction to the Chinese Garden as Respite From the World”.
See the Literary Series page for more details.
Free with Garden admission however space is extremely limited.
Landscapes in Miniature
June 18 - 24
The Chinese art of dwarfing trees and creating miniature landscapes is called penjing and has been practiced in China for more than 2,000 years. An incredible display of these fascinating mini-landscapes takes place at Lan Su Chinese Garden where visitors can marvel at the complexity of the designs; often featuring ancient tiny trees, gnarled rock and mud men characters. This exhibit, accompanying demonstrations, guided tours and activities takes in Father’s Day Weekend. Men, we discovered, appear to be fascinated by extreme pruning!
Free with Garden admission.
Tuesdays by Twilight Concerts
Tuesday evenings July 6 through August 3
This after-hours concert series brings a selection of music for every taste and delivers it to relaxed audiences sitting around the lake and among the flowers. Performers to be announced May 1.
Ticketed event. Tickets on sale June 1.
Happy Hours
Every Monday Evening in July & August
A rare opportunity to experience Lan Su at dusk as admission is extended to 8:00 p.m. The Teahouse will remain open for tea and snacks.
Garden admission.
Festival of the Scholar’s Arts
August 1 - 31
The scholar’s study in a Chinese garden was a refuge, a place of comfort where the men of the family wrote poetry, practiced calligraphy, read, admired collections, entertained fellow scholars and took naps. This festival features painting and calligraphy demonstrations, an exhibit of silk embroidery and Chinese music. Napping could take place in other parts of the Garden!
Free with Garden admission.
Birthday Bash Month
presented by Yellow Mountain StoneWorks
September 1 - 17
A series of events is planned to celebrate the Garden’s 10th birthday
Mooncakes & Pomegranates Dinner
September 1
6:30 p.m.
A delicious opportunity to taste food from fourteen renowned, downtown restaurants while enjoying live music, participating in cultural activities and catching the Garden in the last glow of summer.
Ticketed event.
Happy Birthday Week
September 13 - 17
Join us all week for a series of cultural activities. Birthday cake will be served on September 14, the Garden’s 10th anniversary.
Free with Garden admission.
Anniversary Gala Event
September 16
An elegant, fundraising dinner at the Portland Art Museum, hosted by Arlene & Harold Schnitzer.
Ticketed event.
For more information about the 10th Anniversary Gala, please visit the Gala page or contact Wendy Mitchell, Director of Development at 503.228.8131 ext. 1026 or .
Festival of Abundance
October 16 - 31
In addition to the Han Chinese, China has over 90 million national minorities representing 55 distinct ethnic groups. Each group has at least one festival focusing on the bounty of the land. Lan Su’s Festival of Abundance brings a weekend farmers market brimming with Asian vegetable and fruits, the annual autumn plant sale, gourd painting, and an abundance of lectures and demonstrations.
Free with Garden admission.
Garden Inspiration - Chinese Art Show
November 1 - 30
The Oregon Association of Chinese Artists fills the Garden pavilions with art inspired by the gardens of China and Lan Su.
Free with Garden admission.
Chrysanthemum Festival
November 2 - 21
In China, this autumn bloom is a symbol of good fortune and health and has been the inspiration for generations of poets and artists. This festival features the prize winning blooms from the Portland Chrysanthemum society, specially cultivated chrysanthemum displays in the Chinese style, floral demonstrations and Chrysanthemum wine tasting.
Free with Garden admission