We are very grateful for their generous grant towards our repairs, an essential contribution for the survival of the garden.
Only the view from the scaffolding revealed irreparable damage to the thatched roof. It needs full rethatching, a considerable unplanned additional cost. Every contribution helps!
The Chinese Garden is now closed to the public for urgent maintenance work. The repairs will continue through late July and until then the Garden will remain closed.
A special treasure within the Botanical Garden is the Chinese Garden Qian Yuan, a classical southern Chinese scholar's garden donated to the Ruhr University in 1990 by our partner university, the Tongji University of Shanghai.
When this fragile construction turned out to have suffered severe damage from our harsh climate within a few years, the Chinese Garden Society was founded in 2000 to prevent the imminent razing of the building and to collect donations for its renovation. After the Garden was reopened in October 2001 the Society remained in existence and now pursues two important goals:
After eleven years the Chinese Garden again needs extensive maintenance. Caring for its traditional Chinese construction requires technical expertise and artisanal skills not available in Germany. So we are again relying on the help of skilled Chinese professionals, recommended to us by the Garden's designer, so that the public can continue to enjoy it. Financing these repairs depends on your support.
Our architect puts the total cost at over 100,000 euros. Despite many contributions and a very important grant from the municipal utility Stadtwerke Bochum a shortfall remains, so we still ask for help to let us carry on acquainting the public with the beauty of the Chinese Garden.
In the right-hand column (or on narrow screens, below) you can find our bank coordinates and the details of our status as a German registered charity. It's even easier to donate via the gofundme Link below (on the gofundme page, click on the yellow "Jetzt spenden" button). We would be pleased to offer special guided tours to businesses, institutions and private groups who support these improvements with a donation.
In the recent polling for sponsorship by Stadtwerke Bochum our project qualified for the full eligible amount! That is a big help (but we have still not reached our goal). Our heartfelt thanks to all who gave us their hearts in this campaign!
Despite the construction work we will again be offering our traditional guided tours in 2025, but on a reduced schedule only in August and September. The tours will begin at 3 pm on the third Saturday of these months. The exact dates are August 16 and September 20.
Because of the narrow passages in the Chinese Garden tour groups are limited to 20 participants. We will try to provide two guides on each date who can lead two groups in short succession. As always, the tours are free of charge (but we are happy to accept donations to help us maintain the Garden).
Our Society now has a well maintained presence on Instagram. The account chinesischergarten_bochum has over 800 subscribers and new photographs are constantly being posted. When you can't visit the Chinese Garden in person, this is a good alternative way to experience its flair and inhale its atmosphere.
In the German-Chinese book Qian Yuan – Chinesische Gartenkunst in Bochum, the architect Prof. Zhang Zhenshan lets us partake of his thoughts while designing the Chinese Garden all the way through to its completion. Numerous drawings, explanations and fascinating details are complemented by stirring photographs. With great charm the book imparts well-founded insights into the art and philosophy of Chinese gardens.
The Society has purchased the remainder of this edition and the book is for sale at the reduced price of only 10 euros, either at the Campus Shop (Unishop) in HZO (the lecture hall building Hörsaalzentrum Ost, which faces on the forum near the main auditorium Audimax) or from the secretariat of the Botanical Garden. Mail orders can only be filled by the Botanical Garden for an additional 5 euros for postage.
Our society is as old as this century, but it can only continue its work if we can attract new members. If you are as enchanted by the Chinese Garden as we are, please join the society and help us to preserve this place of rest and harmony and keep it in the public view.
You can download the double-sided German membership application with a data privacy declaration below. After filling it out and signing it, please send it to: Der Chinesische Garten e.V. , c/o Botanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
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We are a recognized charity which furthers art and culture. Donations for these purposes can be deducted from taxable income for the German income tax. The bank receipt or a bank statement are acceptable proof for donations up to € 300 and for larger donations we will send you a receipt on the prescribed official form.
Donations can be made by bank transfer to the German bank account shown above (click on the picture to enlarge it).
Eberhard Koch, Wolfgang Stuppy and others
Copyright © cgev 2025
Last update: Jul 08, 2025
