The Chinese Garden Pavilions
Rooftops, pointing to the sky, are visible here and there through the trees, beyond the walls.
Symbolizing man’s small but essential place in the universe, their architectural concept blends naturally with the garden as a whole.
The seven classical style pavilions in the Dream Lake Garden represent the architectural diversity of gardens from the Ming dynasty. Some are enclosed, others are open-sided. Designed and built according to age-old methods, their structure combines beams and columns with variable spacing to produce the distinctive curves of traditional roofs. The pieces of wood all fit into each other, and no nails or other metal objects are used. The clay roof tiles were specially fixed to make them resistant to the Montreal climate.
The phoenixes and dragons on the decorative tiles are symbols of happiness and symbolize the yin and yang forces.
A heaven of rest and contemplation, each pavilion has a name accompanied by a poem. Man and nature meet here in art, in an atmosphere of elegance and simplicity.
The entry to the garden and pavilions. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Symbolizing man’s place in the universe, the architectural concept blends with the garden as a whole. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Friendship Hall interior: It is a cultural centre dedicated to Chinese art and traditions. This pavilion was donates to Montreal by the City of Shanghai. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com
The wide terrace behind the Friendship Hall offers a fabulous vista of the garden’s main tableau, “Dawn on Dream Lake”. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Friendship Hall gardians. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Rooftop pointing to the sky of the Chinese pagoda. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Ecach pavillon tells a different story about China, its history and culture. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Garden plants arond pavillons. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
The Dream Lake is surrounded by these pavillons. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Back façade of the Court of Entry. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
The hill of 9 metres with a tower. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
A pavillon hidden in a forest… Green Shade Pavillion: In classical Chinese, the word Ting means not only pavilion, but also stop or pause. The Green shade Pavilion is a small, open pavilion dedicated to rest and contemplation. It stands on a small slope where it benefits from the shade of old trees, which represent longevity and faithfulness in the Chinese culture. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
Garden yards around pavillons are decorated with traditional Chinese sculptres. Image: © ProvinceQuebec.com
As the mist slowly rises at daybreak, it reveals the lake, the lotus plants and the stone mountain, an image straight out of southern China. Photo: © ProvinceQuebec.com
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