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The first Lingnan-style Garden in Hong Kong, located at Lai Chi Kok Park (Phase III), will be open for public enjoyment following its opening ceremony on November 11, 2000.

Completed in July 2000 at a cost of $75 million, the Lingnan Garden is situated in a reclaimed area of 12,500 square metres in Lai Chi Kok Park Phase III neighbouring Mei Foo Sun Chuen. Adopting the concept of "Lychee" as a well-known fruit of Lingnan, the Architectural Services Department (ASD) designed the Garden in Lingnan style featuring the traditional layout of yards and winding corridors.

Traditionally, Lingnan gardens are mostly extension to private dwelling. This garden, however, is designed for public enjoyment and is therefore spacious enough for a great number of visitors.

The Garden is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). The Department's District Leisure Manager (Sham Shui Po), Mr Lee Pak-kwan said today (November 4), "This classical-style garden is built for the public. It not only presents a beautiful sight for local residents and the people of Hong Kong, but also provides them with an excellent environment for various outdoor traditional festive activities."

ASD's Senior Architect, Mr Tse Shun-kai, who is the designer of the Lingnan Garden said,"There are a number of famous gardens in Southern Guangdong which embody the characteristics of the Lingnan regions and have their unique style which is distinct from that of the imperial gardens and those in the central and Jiangnan regions.

"The layout and design of the pavilions, kiosks, water features, and rockeries of the Lingnan Garden all follow the Lingnan style. The architectural structures of this garden are mainly built at the corners and linked together by porches and corridors. This can evoke spatial interests and provide shelter for visitors who are able to enjoy the nicely knit landscapes as they move along the corridors, " he added.

Lying at the centre is a pond covering 2,600 square metres which takes up 20 per cent of the total area from which all buildings and structures radiate in all directions. Blending into the overall design, the Garden is divided into ten scenic spots, along which the moon is the common theme since one-fifth of the garden devotes to water features. The colourful optical fibre light festooning the eaves from the Eastern Gate to the corridor-type bridge adds charm to the Garden.

Architectural ornaments of the garden, such as pottery sculpture, tile and plaster decoration, stone carving and woodwork, also come from Lingnan. The rockery is made of stones mainly from Tai Hu in Yingde.

On greenery, there is a total plantation area of 10,300 square metres inside and outside the Garden with different species of plants. They include 720 trees, 970 conifers, 5,800 bamboos, 52,500 shrubs and 40 bonsai plants; as well as a turf area of 6,100 square metres.

Couplets of works from Guangdong masters since the Qing Dynasty, such as Liang Qichao, Kang Youwei, Li Wentian, Ye Jiangying, Li Jian, Liu Huadong, Gao Jianfu and Chen Pu, are everywhere in the Garden.

"Walking in this new Chinese theme garden, which opens daily from 7am to 11pm, will give park visitors a new experience to see for themselves the first Lingnan-style Garden ever built in the territory," Mr Lee Pak-kwan said.

Occupying a total area of 17.65 hectares, the Lai Chi Kok Park was constructed in three phases with Phase I and Phase II completed in 1989 and 1997 respectively. Apart from the Lingnan Garden, the Lai Chi Kok Park Phase III also consists of a landscape portion and a Western Garden portion which were respectively opened in February and December last year.

End/Saturday, November 4, 2000

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