Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society Mcfgs

WE HAVE A SMALL, DEDICATED ALL-VOLUNTEER 12-MEMBER BOARD THAT HAS PUT IN THOUSANDS OF HOURS TO FURTHER ITS MISSION AND RESEARCH CHINA GARDENS IN THE US AND CHINA. OUR BOARD IS DIVERSE AND IS COMPOSED OF HMONG, CHINESE, AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. OUR 11-MEMBER HONORARY ADVISORY COUNCIL, INCLUDES AMONG OTHERS, FORMER MAYOR GEORGE LATIMER, FORMER MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART ASIAN ART CURATOR ROBERT JACOBSEN, FORMER ST. PAUL PARKS & REC LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT BILL PESEK, DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL ORGANIZER BRENDA FONG. WE HAVE A 9-MEMBER CHINESE ADVISORY GROUP AND A 9-MEMBER HMONG ADVISORY GROUP TO ADVISE THE BOARD TO ENSURE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL AUTHENTICITY.

THE FOCUS OF 2019 WAS ON THE CONTINUED CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST PHASE OF A MULTI-PHASE MULTI-YEAR LANDMARK PUBLIC ART PROJECT, THE ST. PAUL-CHANGSHA CHINA FRIENDSHIP GARDEN OF WHISPERING WILLOWS AND FLOWING WATERS AT PHALEN REGIONAL PARK. IN 2019, WE COMPLETED THE INSTALLATION OF THE ALL GRANITE WEST ENTRANCE ARCHWAY AND CONNECTING PATHWAY. THIS COMPLEMENTED THE HMONG HERITAGE WALL AND XIANG JIANG PAVILION INSTALLED IN 2018.THE MN CHINA FRIENDSHIP GARDEN SOCIETY HOSTED A LARGE SCALE GALA BANQUET AND SILENT AUCTION AND A GRAND OPENING IN JULY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ANNUAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL AT PHALEN PARK. ST. PAUL MAYOR MELVIN CARTER AND MANY DIGNITARIES FROM THE CHANGSHA GOVERNMENT AND MINNESOTA GOVERNMENT ATTENDED. THIS EVENT DREW MANY HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.THE CHINA FRIENDSHIP GARDEN IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK.IN OCTOBER, A ST. PAUL CITY DELEGATION, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE MN CHINA FRIENDSHIP GARDEN SOCIETY, TRAVELED TO CHANGSHA TO PARTICIPATE IN AN UNVEILING CEREMONY OF THE SISTER-CITY GIFT TO CHANGSHA'S YANGHU WETLANDS PARK - A SET OF 5 LIFE-SIZE PEANUTS STATUES.THIS IS A UNIQUE SISTER-CITY PROJECT INITIATED AND FUNDED BY THE EFFORTS OF THE MN CHINA FRIENDSHIP GARDEN SOCIETY. WE ARE WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF ST. PAUL PARKS & REC, SISTER CITY CHANGSHA IN CHINA, CHANGSHA YANGHU WETLANDS PARK (SISTER PARK OF PHALEN PARK), AND THE CHANGSHA PEOPLE'S ASSOCIATION FOR FRIENDSHIP WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES. CHANGSHA ARCHITECTS JENNIFER JUNFANG FAN AND JON YOUHUA WEN, OF HUNAN JIAN KE LANDSCAPE CREATED THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS IN 2016 AND THE 2018 CONSTRUCTION DESIGNS AND CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT.