Chinese Garden of Friendship. An Expert-Led Tour for AGHS (SOLD OUT)
About
Enjoy a tour of the Chinese Garden of Friendship with expert guides, landscape architect and urban designer, Oi Choong and heritage specialist, Julian Siu. They prepared the conservation management plan for the garden, which preceded its listing on the NSW heritage register.
This plan is guiding changes, like the 2025 Meandering Pathway of Tranquility. It complements a 2012 major horticultural maintenance plan, 2004 landscape maintenance plan, Feng Shui analysis and advice from 1988 – 2004 from Guangzhou Garden Planning & Building Design Institute, in many visits. Gardens evolve!
Designed in China by Guangdong Landscape Bureau, it was built, planted, and opened in 1988 as a joint government project, part of celebrating Australia’s Bicentenary. It represents the culmination of aspirations of Australian-Chinese communities and years of organising. It celebrates the longevity and contribution of Australian-Chinese people to NSW and the sister state relationship of NSW and Guangdong province. It is one of few traditional public Chinese gardens created outside mainland China.
The garden was listed on the NSW State Heritage Register in 2018 as exemplar of a community-based late 20th century overseas Chinese garden (as found in Australasia, North America, and Europe). As NSW’s first ling-nam (Southern or Cantonese style) garden developed cooperatively between Sydney’s Chinese communities, NSW & Chinese public authorities. And as a symbol of the welcoming of Australian-Chinese communities into NSW & Australian society.
Oi is a distinguished Sydney based landscape architect with extensive local and international experience in public domain and heritage landscapes. She was formerly Head of the Landscape Design Section at the NSW Government Architects Office and founding partner of Context Landscape Design, an award-winning multi- disciplinary landscape practice. She has been involved with many major public domain and heritage landscape projects in Sydney, Southeast Asia and the Middle East including the restoration of the Old Parliament House Gardens, Canberra and the recent enhancement of Empress Place and Esplanade Park in Singapore. She served on the New South Wales State Design Review Panel till 2025 and is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Chinese Garden of Friendship.
Julian Siu is a well-regarded heritage specialist with his own practice, SIU Consulting. He has over 15 years’ experience providing strategic and pragmatic solutions for conservation and development projects involving diverse heritage places. He has developed heritage management frameworks and responses in the context of change for commercial/institutional/residential developments, major public infrastructure (road, rail, light rail, airport), precinct renewals and property divestment. He is a member of the Heritage Council of NSW and is a member of the Chinese Garden of Friendship Advisory Committee.
Location
Chinese Garden of Friendship
Pier Street , Corner of Harbour Street, Darling Harbour NSW 2000
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