Page 43 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q3

square meters and houses the biggest teahouse in Eu-
rope. It was designed by the garden and landscape
architect Professor Li Zheng from Wuxi and built by
Chinese artists and craftsmen from Zhenjiang, sister
town of Mannheim in the Jiangsu province, central
China. The goal of both cities in this joint venture
project, was to create a place of rest and relaxation,
but foremost, a meeting point of two cultures and
their traditions. It took only two years from the formal
agreement in 1999 to its opening in 2001.
Some of the wooden buildings such as an arch of
honor, teahouse, pavilions, and corridors were pre-
manufactured in China and transported by ship to- Top; View of the two-storey
gether with more than 200 tonnes of Taihu rocks and teahouse, the largest of its
“Bamboo sprout tips” (special type of rock) to Ger- kind in Europe.
many. Then, all materials were assembled by Chinese Middle left; The arched bridge
experts into one of the most beautiful Chinese gardens spans over a pond and
outside China. connects the entrance arch
The appearance of Chinese gardens is very differ- with the teahouse.
ent from the gardens of Europe. All buildings within Middle right; The tiles terminate
at the eaves with discs on
the garden in Mannheim show characteristic features which auspicious symbols are
of Chinese architecture. The roofs have a sweeping featured.
curvature that rises at the corners of the roof. The Bottom; The zigzag bridge
roof of the teahouse is a combination of saddle and keeps evil spirits away.
hipped roof. The tiles terminate at the eaves with discs
decorated with auspicious symbols such as bats, one
of the most popular symbols of luck in China. Also

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