US library creates legacy with Chinese Garden expansion

LOS ANGELES - Under wispy willows beside a rippling, rock-rimmed lake, VIPs gathered on last Tuesday at one of the decorative pagodas that dot the landscape at the historic Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles County to participate in a "Golden Shovel" groundbreaking ceremony to launch the Phase 2 expansion of their Chinese "Garden of Flowing Fragrances (Liu Fang Yuan)".

"Today marks another major milestone in our collective journey, as this next phase will triple the size of the Chinese Gardens at the Huntington," Steve Hindle, interim president of the institution, informed the attentive crowd.

In attendance at the special ceremony were Huntington trustees and donors, Library officials, and American and Chinese dignitaries.