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 ten years the Chinese Garden is in need of extensive maintenance. Its traditional Chinese construction complicates this and requires technical expertise and artisanal skills not available in Germany. We want to hire skilled Chinese workers, recommended to us by the Garden's designer, so that the public can continue to enjoy it. Financing these repairs requires your help.
Repairing the roof necessitates scaffolding, bringing the total cost to about 40,000 euros. An additional 8,000 euros are needed for the woodwork (ornaments, crumbling railings, a broken door), then 1,000 euros for paintwork, and for board, lodging and the travel expenses of the workers 20,000 euros more. Altogether the costs amount to about 70,000 euros.
So far we have managed to come up with a scant third of this sum. That is why we are asking for your help to carry on acquainting the public with the beauty of the Chinese Garden, thereby promoting intercultural understanding.
In the right-hand column you can find our bank coordinates and the details of our status as a German registered charity. We would be pleased to offer special guided tours to businesses, institutions and private groups who support these improvements with a donation.
Our traditional season of guided tours through the Chinese Garden has unfortunately come to a close, but of course we will be repeating our programme of guided tours in 2025. Details will be posted here next spring as soon as the plans are in place.
Our Society now has a well maintained presence on Instagram. The account chinesischergarten_bochum has about 750 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 the lobby of the administration building of the Ruhr University (Building UV) 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
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Last update: Sep 15, 2024
