SAN MARINO - Officials of Huntington Library on Tuesday marked a major milestone in the Chinese Garden project, unveiling the garden's name: Liu Fang Yuan, or Garden of Flowing FragranceThe ceremony marking the naming was held about halfway through the construction of the first phase of the project, officiasaid, as 31 artisans continued to prepare the garden for its opening expected early next year.
Steve Koblik, president of Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, said the successful launch of the Chinese Garden has been the result of what he called "a very successful fundraising campaign that has engaged the Chinese community both here and abroad."
He said the Phase I $18.3-million fundraising goal has been met with generosity of the major donors including East West Bank, Air China, H. Roger and Vivine Wang, and many others. Additional funds continue to be raised for named endowments, educational programs, and other support.
Phase I, covering about 4.5 acres, will be part of what ultimately will be a much larger area of the Huntington.
"It is truly a testament to the cross-cultural appeal and international scope of this garden," Koblik said.
"The naming of a garden is very important in Chinese culture," said June Li, the garden's curator. "It personalizes the place and recognizes its unique artistry, often through the use of poetry, symbolism, and word play."
"The name brings a garden to life," Li said.
Koblik said when Phase I is opened next February or March, the designers will go to work planning additional phases of the garden.
"We will start generating ideas about how it will be completed, if it ever feels complete," he said. "In any case, it will always continue to grow."
Laurie Sowd, the project manager, said the work will accelerate with the expected arrival next month of 20 more artisans from China. The workers from China are building wooden structures on top of the steel framework of the buildings that must meet modern seismic standards as they represent traditional structures.
"They will be carving floral motifs on the doors and windows," Sowd said.
Li said selecting a poetic name for a garden is a centuries-old Chinese tradition. In the earliest known manual on garden building, "The Craft of Gardens" (1631), author Ji Cheng wrote that a garden should combine the scenic beauty of nature with the expressiveness of literature, giving deeper meaning to the landscape through poetic descriptions of its unique character.
A Chinese garden is often thought of as a three-dimensional work of art, Li said, and its name, like the title of a painting, should reveal something about the wonders within, as well as reflect the philosophy of its owner or creator.