A vibrant programme of music, dance and cultural performances from Dunedin’s Chinese community will mark the auspicious day, as well as celebrating China National Day and the annual Moon Festival.
Dunedin Chinese Garden Trust chairman Malcolm Wong has invited Dunedin people to join in the celebrations, which will run from 10.30am-3pm.
It will include speeches, hands-on activities, food and entertainment.
It will also be a chance for visitors to get close to a new treasure — a commemorative pounamu stone presented to the garden by mana whenua and gifted by Ngāi Tahu with the name Tū Hono (connection) — unveiled on Lan Yuan’s actual birthday, September 16, by Otākou kaumatua (elder) Edward Ellison.
The pounamu is nestled among the precious Taihu (Great Lake) rock from Jiangsu province in China, which forms the backbone of the garden.
"People will be able to come and give the pounamu a rub, and contemplate its place in the garden. It’s a great way to commemorate the 15th anniversary," Mr Wong said.
The trust formed in 1997 and had the aim of creating a Chinese scholar’s garden to mark 150 years since the arrival of Chinese people in Otago in the 1860s.
"It has become the spiritual home for Chinese in Dunedin, the place where we hold all our special events and celebrations.
"So, we really appreciate the involvement of Dunedin people in helping to honour that."
Created with the support of Dunedin City Council, the Shanghai municipal government and the New Zealand government, Lan Yuan is a rare authentic Chinese garden, and one of the the last to be created outside China.
Based on a traditional design, the garden was pre-fabricated and assembled in Shanghai, then dismantled and transported to Dunedin where it was reconstructed by artisans from Shanghai.
It was blessed in June, 2008, in the presence of then-prime minister Helen Clark and Chinese ambassador Zhang Yuanyuan, and was opened to the public.
Ms Clark returned to officially open the garden that September.
The Taihu rock was no longer allowed to be removed from China, so having 1000tonnes of it at Lan Yuan was a great honour for the city, Mr Wong said
"We are very fortunate to have the garden here in our care."
Alongside being chairman of the Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Trust, Mr Wong is also joint chairman of charitable company Sum Gum Saan Ltd ("new gold mountain"), which is developing a lesson plan for children in the region to teach them about the history of Chinese settlement in Otago — from the goldfields to market gardens.
Aimed at children in years 1 to 8, the lessons and classroom resources were developed by Dunedin-based historian James Beattie and educator Brendan Seal.
The lessons have been trialled in classrooms at Columba College and Lawrence Area School. The schools will give feedback before the lessons are prepared for launch next year.
"Teachers and pupils at those schools have enthusiastically engaged with the lessons, which has been great to see," Mr Wong said.
"We have also had a lot of support from the public — so we feel we have a strong mandate for the project."
He will also be part of a planned mayoral delegation which will visit Dunedin’s sister city of Shanghai later this year.
