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Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society fonds Gardens, Chinese With digital objects English
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Opening of garden

Item is a collection of four news clips about the opening of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens. Each clip includes footage of the newly opened gardens and general narration about the garden. Clip 1: CBC, Evening News, April 24, 1986. Presenter: Bill Good. Clip 2: Ici Radio-Canada Télé (CBC) news program ‘Ce Soir’. Presenter: Mario Hinse (in French). Clip 3: BCTV News Hour. Presenter: Tony Parsons. Camera: Paul Rowan. Reporter: Michael McCardell. This clip includes short interview with Charles McDermott (Project Manager). Clip 4: CBC, Midday with Presenter: Bill Good. Reporter: Karen Webb. This clip includes footage from the opening, including short speeches from Pat Carney (MP – Vancouver Centre) and Yu Zhan (Chinese Ambassador).

Garden of ease

Item is a documentary film about the Taoist meanings of various elements of the design in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden. The film opens with a street scene of Chinese New Year, including lion dances, firecrackers, and a parade. The main film is an interview with James Yu, the maintenance coordinator of the garden. He discusses the contrasting elements (yin and yang), the different kinds of plants (plum, bamboo, and pine), the leak windows, the upturned eves, and the reflections in the water, and then presents a Taoist interpretation of each of them. The narration is supplemented with film footage of the gardens illustrating each point in turn. The film concludes with more footage of garden views and details.

Inside the circle, outside the square

Item is a montage video of photographs of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens with musical accompaniment. The film begins with images of street scenes in Chinatown, focusing on neon lights, nightlife, and shops. The visuals segue into peaceful scenes of the gardens, focusing primarily on the views of the garden through the leak windows and screens, the curved roofs of the pavilions, the water and reflections, and the patterned paving stones.

China garden

Item is a short documentary exploration of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens with a meditative, philosophical, and poetic approach. The narrator speaks about some of the essential elements of a classical Chinese garden: Water, Rock (Mountains), and Buildings, followed by recitations of poetry by Ge Gong and Tao-yün. The occasional narration is accompanied by zheng music and a selection of garden scenes that illustrate many of the different ‘views’ of the garden that are relevant to the narration. Special attention is given to the flow of water over the rocks, the railings, screens, and leak windows, and a high vantage point view of the whole garden from the mountaintop pavilion.

Harmony in a garden

Item is a short documentary tour of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden with a focus on the philosophical Taoist elements. It discusses how each of the four major garden elements (buildings, rocks, plants, and water) is represented in the garden, and explains some features in the context of Taoist balance and function. This discussion is illustrated with footage of the relevant elements and Chinese style background music.

Baghead creation myth

Item is an amateur video recording of a theatrical presentation by a grade 5 class from Hastings School, filmed in the courtyard in front of the main hall. The presentation is a creation myth story in which a trickster monkey builds dolls out of mud which are then animated by thunder and lightning. These ‘bagheads’ travel between several worlds and encounter various strange creatures before finding the perfect world and removing their masks to become the first people. Presentation includes footage of the spectators and teachers.

1991 - Year of the sheep (ram), Chinese New Year - Parade, Vancouver, B.C.

Item is an amateur home movie of the 1991 Chinese New Year’s parade in Vancouver. It includes footage of the parade from East Pender Street outside the Chinese Cultural Centre and from Keefer Street just outside the entrance to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. Also included is footage of vendors and tables inside the Chinese Cultural Centre, scenes of families inside the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, primarily inside the main pavilion, a view of the water and railings, and through the moon doorway.

The parade footage contains a variety of traditional Chinese elements, such as lion dancers, Chinese dragons, firecrackers, flags, dancing, music, and costumes. Some of the identifiable groups in the parade are: Cheerleaders from Steveston Secondary School, Children from J. W. Sexsmith Elementary School, Dancers from Strathcona Chinese Dance Co., the Freddy Fudd[pucker] band, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Canada, St. John’s Ambulance Cadets, Tibet Lama Kung-Fu, and the Western Canada Chinese Martial Arts Association.

Exploring Vancouver’s Chinatown

Item is an educational video produced by the Vancouver School Board for use with a textbook entitled ‘Exploring Vancouver’s Chinatown: A Resource Guide’. The film has no narration, but a background score with Chinese instruments, and scene noise in some places. It opens with footage of the sun rising over Chinatown from a rooftop vantage point. It lingers on vendors and storefronts preparing to open, a Tai Chi class in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden’s main pavilion, Tai Chi in a local park, scenes of residential streets, houses, schools, and playgrounds. The film includes footage of a variety of local businesses, such as a barbershop, an apothecary, a school, calligraphy, tailor, fire department, auto repair, and a newspaper printer. It concludes with footage of the musicians playing the background music and street scenes of the sun setting over Chinatown.

It's your life

Item is a television program in which Sandra Samartino performs yoga in the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. The production is accompanied by repeating electronic music, but there is no narration. The yoga poses are set against the rocks, moon gates, lattice work, pavilions, and often presented only reflected in the water.

Gong xi fa cai

Item is a documentary that uses photographs and voice over narration to tell the story of how Chinese New Year came about and how it is celebrated, traditionally, in Vancouver, and at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden. The documentary begins with a presentation of the Chinese zodiac: its origins, associated animals, and how it works. Next is a discussion of Chinese New Year traditions, what they mean, and how they are celebrated, including: Family feasts, Door Gods, red paper door hangers, the family reunion dinner, the importance of avoiding unlucky word or actions, the children’s game of watch the clock, family visiting, red paper envelopes given as gifts, broken day, lion dances, and parades. The feature concludes with a discussion of how the New Year is celebrated at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen gardens, with photos of a lantern parade, firecrackers, ceremonial offerings, and traditional Chinese music, dance, and entertainment.

People will talk

The item is a recording of a segment of a longer news program called ‘People Will Talk’ hosted by Laurier LaPierre on the subject of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese garden. The segment is in two main parts, the first part is a report by David Kincaid which includes footage of the construction of the gardens and later footage of the gardens in their completed state. Narration accompanying the footage describes the history of the classical Chinese garden in general, the construction efforts, and the goals of the final project, and some of the theories around the art form of the classical Chinese garden.

The second part is an interview with Sue Yung Li, a landscape architect and filmmaker from San Francisco. They discuss the role of the classical Chinese garden in Chinese culture as a source of artistic inspiration, the difference between a Chinese and a Japanese garden, the importance of rock and water in the garden, the accessibility of these kinds of gardens to the western audience. They also discuss elements of Li’s personal life, footage of the construction of the gardens and later footage of the gardens in their completed state.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden - a friendly bridge

Item is a documentary on the construction of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden. The first section discusses the development of the classical garden in Suzhou, its history, and its purposes. This narration is illustrated with footage of morning scenes of streets and parks, the Yangzi River, and several gardens in the city. The second and much longer section covers the construction of the Vancouver garden. Footage of the construction is combined with narration describing the process; with emphasis throughout placed on how little the construction of the garden has changed since the Song Dynasty in the use of hand tools, traditional building methods, and traditional materials.

Specific stages of construction examined are the importing of the materials from China, the construction of the pillars and the assembling of the pavilions, clay tile roofing and roof finishing, the placement of Lake Tai rocks and the thin tall stones, the courtyard paving and internal tiling, the ‘leak window’ construction, and the construction and finishing work of the screens and railings in the carpentry shop. Also included is a short interview with Joe Wai, project architect, in which he discusses the background of the garden project. The documentary concludes with footage of the opening ceremony with a Chinese delegation, and footage of the completed garden.

Gong xi fa cai (happy new year)

Item is a photo montage with narration in Cantonese. The photos displayed represent traditional Chinese new year traditions and celebrations. Included are Lion dances, the zodiac, the Chinese calendar, street scenes of shopkeepers, fruit, flowers, family scenes with a holiday meal, and red envelopes.

Refreshment for the Heart

Item is a documentary film about the construction of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Gardens. It is divided into two sections: the first section is a discussion of the classical Chinese gardens in Suzhou while the second, much longer, section discusses the construction of the gardens in Vancouver. It uses footage filmed during the construction process, descriptive narration, and short segments of an interview with Joe Wai, one of the project architects.

The documentary opens with narration about the importance of water to the region and the history of the region, illustrated with footage of boating and agricultural life. The city of Suzhou is introduced with narrated scenes of the city, canals, and tourist destinations. Next the film explores a few of Suzhou’s famous gardens. The gardens discussed are: The Master of Fish Nets Garden, The Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lion Grove Garden, and The Lingering Garden. The film then concludes this section with a discussion of design elements and the Taoist elements of each feature.

The film then moves to Vancouver, beginning with footage of famous city landmarks and city views (e.g. Lions Gate Bridge, Canada Place, the Skytrain) with an emphasis on the modern technological nature of the city. Street scenes of Chinatown are the backdrop to a discussion of the history of Chinese people in Canada, the development of the Chinese Cultural center, and the pre-construction process of getting the approval and funding to build the garden. Discussion of the construction of the garden focuses on the Suzhou artisans who built the garden according to traditional means, emphasising the use of traditional tools, building methods, and materials. This is illustrated with footage of moving the Lake Tai rocks by hand and placing them into position.

Tthe film talks about the artisans, with scenes of the builders socialising at a banquet, singing, and playing table tennis. The documentary then focuses on the finishing touches and role they play in the finished garden. The documentary concludes with the official opening ceremony with dignitaries and the artisans followed by footage of the completed garden.

The bridge of five thousand miles

Item is a video photo montage ‘walking tour’ of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, narrated by Mary White. The film discusses the history of Chinese gardens and the history of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen garden, including a discussion of the construction materials and techniques, and the artisans who built it. Different architectural elements of the garden are considered, and their function and meaning discussed. The philosophical elements of garden construction as an art form are discussed throughout.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society