Gansu Garden: Picture of Silk Road and Dream of Flying Apsaras

The winding Yellow River, the splendid ancient Silk Road and the gorgeous Dunhuang culture...Gansu, the ancient and mysterious western region of China is famous for the ancient Silk Road due to its colorful legends and romantic appeal. The Dunhuang culture is the most dazzling partof the Silk Road culture. It is a precious treasure bestowed by Gansu upon the whole world. The Gansu Garden of Beijing Expo 2019 will represent the symbols of Dunhuang culture, such as“an apsara playing the pipa behind her back”and“the nine-floored building of Mogao Grottoes”, by using artistic means to show the colorful and gorgeous picture of the Silk Road.

The overall design and layout of the Gansu Garden is simple and graceful. It can be divided into one screen and two courtyards. One screen refers to the Mogao Scenery Screen, inspired by the nine-floored building of Mogao Grottoes which symbolizesnine heavens - showing the painstaking efforts and the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation.

With the Mogao Scenery Screen as itsdividing line,the Gansu Garden is divided into front yard and back yard.The front yard is dominated by Dunhuang culture.The“framed scenery”designof the entrance is inspired by que (a freestanding, ceremonial gate tower) in the Han Dynasty. Passing through the entrance, you will feel the warm welcome in the scenery unfolding symmetrically from the central axis.The central square is a beautiful waterscape, with the 4.6-meter-high sculpture“an apsara playing the pipa behind her back”made of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) as its climax.“An apsara playing the pipa behind her back”is in the Picture of Apsaras in Cave 112 of Mogao Grottoes, which is part of the mural of Western Pure Land.It is the representative work and eternal symbol of Dunhuang culture.It is a spirit flying out from the wall built two thousand years ago as well as a celestial being jumping out of the treasure house of art.The west of the exhibition gardenmainly depicts the sceneries of the Hexi Corridor - the undulating flowers representing the Gobi Desert in Hexi,decorated with greenery and a caravan, showcasing the charm of the Silk Road.

Behind the Mogao SceneryScreen is the backyard exhibiting Gansu’s horticultural characteristics. There are waterfalls,aerospace pumpkins and tomatoes, distinctive ground flowers,olives and other plants unique in south Gansu.In the Oasis Corridor,calabashvines are planted, embedded with the carved calabashes of Lanzhou, making it unique and interesting.The entrance to the backyard leads to a wall of green plants.Its shape is inspired by the undulating Qilian Mountains. The wall is carved with the marvellous landscape of the cities in Gansu - Diversified buildings, the Yellow River, the Zhongshan Bridge and the waterwheel are perfectly portrayed by the green plants.White pigeons spread their wings over this beautiful land,making this wall more vivid and vibrant.

“Through careful arrangement, the Gansu Garden will have a horticultural landscape with various local cultural elements, such as aerospace horticulture,purple-spotted peonies,dahlia and other plants,to showcase the colorful and charming new Gansuand present a happy and beautiful home,”said Sun Changliang, the designer of the Gansu Garden.