Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Chinese Garden of Serenity

In the South of Malta, in the quiet village of Santa Lucija, there is this beautiful Chinese garden which unfortunately few people seem to know of. This morning I grabbed the opportunity to pay a visit to this garden, and together with little Zack, I spent a quiet morning soaking up the soothing ambience that envelops this garden. Inside this garden I was embraced by its exceptional beauty and serenity. The artistic architectures just took my breath away and I couldn't stop admiring the mosaic on the ground which had been painstakingly done by hand.


The specific design of this garden makes you go through a personal rebirth and you feel the stress of modern life slowly abandoning you. Here life, with all its challenges is symbolically represented as a winding corridor at the northern end of the garden. The bamboo shoots represent meditation on life. Sadly, the fountain at garden's entrance which should represent birth was undergoing maintenance. The garden’s courtyard with its fishpond, rock garden, and circular door takes you to a magical place where you cannot help but be at peace with yourself.

This garden was constructed in 1998 and built by a group of foreign Chinese workers. If I remember correctly it was a sort of twinning project which the council of Sta Lucija held with a city in the Republic of China.
I believe this Garden of Serenity provides the ideal environment to allow one's creativity to blossom. There are so many quiet places where one could sketch, write a story, or simply read a book. This garden really lives up to its name “Serenity”. You will love it there. Anyway, I'm taking the opportunity to share with you some of the photos that I took of the beautiful designs, shapes and architecture in this garden.












11 comments:

Sue said...

Zen,
Thanks for sharing this beautiful garden...I did not know of its existence, otherwise I would have certainly paid a visit. I hope to do so the next time I come to Malta.
Very nice pictures!
Sue.

Angela said...

I've heard about this place, even have driven by once. I would love to visit sometime. Its so nice to know that there is a place like this in Malta. There's something so different, so calming about a Chinese garden. Great photos, glad you enjoyed your time there. Hopefully I'll be able to visit sometime soon too :o)

Rosanne Dingli said...

Wow - you have found yet another location I was completely unaware of. This was not there when I lived in Malta. If I had know it was, I would have paid a visit in 2004. Thanks for this... I'll remember it on my next visit. It looks serene and untroubled.

Mark Kreider said...

Love the architectural shapes and textures here.

Loree said...

I've been there once. It is nice but Chinese-style anything is not my personal style. But it is a very peaceful place to spend a morning.

Robin said...

What a magical place, thanks for sharing it!

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Doreen said...

Welcome back to blogland Zen : ) We knew you'd be back soon! How lovely that you found time to enjoy such a beautiful garden with baby Zack.
I too had heard of it but unfortunately have never been. We really should pay it a visit, it sounds so peaceful!
Thanks for sharing your experience and your great photos.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Greetings from the UK.

Lovely photos - thanx for sharing them with us.

God bless you and your family. Regards to your Mom.

Juniper said...

What wonderful photos! Especially love the last one!!! I so like this little garden.

Joey said...

Hi..
It's so nice to hear from you. I hope Zack is doing well. I'm sure he is just growing like a weed.

The photographs are just beautiful. the last one captured my attention. I can just see you with the stroller, pushing him down the walk, under the trees.

Take care. Lovely blog.

Joey

Anonymous said...

I had never heard of this garden up until now! Will definitely go visit it next time I'm on the island. Thanks for sharing xxx