In California (在加利福尼亚）

Hello all. I took this picture Tuesday afternoon at the Huntington Botanical Garden near Los Angeles, California, USA. I was in Pasadena for the American Public Gardens Association's annual conference. This is one view of the new and highly acclaimed Chinese garden at the Huntington called Liú Fāng Yuán (流芳园) or Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

This garden was created with the help of skilled Chinese craftsmen from the Mainland and its creation epitomizes one aspect of cooperation and exchange between botanical gardens in China and the United States. It was designed in the manner of the traditional Chinese scholar's gardens and is specifically stylized after the famed gardens in and around the city of Suzhou in the eastern Jiangsu Province, PRC.

In China there is a traditional saying: 上有天堂，下有苏杭 (Shàng yǒutiāntáng, Xià yǒuSūHáng) which means "Up above there is Heaven, here below there is SuHang." SuHang collectively refers to the beautiful cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Many of the gardens within the cities date back as early as the Ming and early Qing Dynasties (300-600+ years ago). Suzhou is one of the cities I will visit during my trip, so stay tuned to catch a glimpse of these incredible gardens later in July.