Chinese and Japanese gardens reopen after 5 years with rejuvenated landmarks and new eco-friendly spaces

SINGAPORE — About 14,000 suggestions from the public were received by the National Parks Board (NParks) and, on Sept 8, visitors got to see how the new and the old blended together at the reopening of the Chinese and Japanese gardens in Taman Jurong.

After extensive rebuilding works over the last five years, familiar landmarks such as the Twin Pagoda, Grand Arch and Stoneboat remain — alongside new spaces such as Water Wall Court and the Japanese Garden's Guesthouse, a multipurpose hall that can accommodate up to 1,000 people.

At the reopening, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who unveiled a commemorative plaque and planted a Syzygium aqueum tree, described the Sept 8 event as a long-awaited milestone.

He said that back in the 1960s, before it was developed, Jurong was just jungle and swamps with a few compounds and orchards.

SM Lee said: "Now, more than ever, we can look to Jurong Lake Gardens as a people's garden... For the people, by the people, we all have a stake, and everyone is welcome."

Originally built in the mid-1970s, the Chinese and Japanese gardens, along with Lakeside Garden, which was completed in 2019, are the three gardens that make up the 90ha of Jurong Lake Gardens — Singapore's first national garden in the heartland. Since 2019, Lakeside Garden has welcomed 25 million visitors.

As visitors cross the White Rainbow Bridge into the Chinese Garden, many will recognise the iconic Grand Arch, which has been renovated to offer an unobstructed "open window" view of the garden.

The walls at the arch have been demolished. Mass-engineered timber (MET) was used to form a horizontal structure behind the arch to house the Jurong Lake Gardens Gallery, which tells of the gardens' development, and a restaurant.

The nearby Edible Garden has plants and flowers, such as pumpkins, luffas and red long beans. Eggplants and lady's fingers also thrive on garden plots.

Over at the Japanese Garden, the large Guesthouse, which is also constructed from MET, taps natural air circulation to stay cool. 

Visitors would feel as though they are at a traditional park in Japan, thanks to a new teahouse and a Guest Pavilion next to a pond.

Water-related garden features are visible throughout the park.

Among them are the Water Lily Garden, which has the largest collection of water lilies in Singapore, and the Sunken Garden, a valley-like garden with vertical lush green walls that offer close-up views of staghorn ferns and philodendron.

NParks curator Wilson Wong previously said the various plants "showcase good horticultural practices with the help of volunteers".

Landscape designers Daniella Danis, 28, and Jastyn Ong, 38, from volunteer group Friends of Jurong Lake Gardens, along with other volunteers, planted 70 yellow flowering plants such as justicias and marigolds in July.

Said Ong: "NParks has been putting in effort to increase diversity and help with the local ecology. So we are just happy to support that part of the rejuvenation project."

Madam Wo Mei Lan from Liu & Wo Architects, who was the lead architect behind the Gardens' rejuvenation, said the challenge was to integrate new innovations to complement the existing features. Conservation was also a factor.

"We realised that memories are very important. So we didn't knock everything down as we need to value the past. When you (later) transform the Gardens, you can tell your children this was where it was or how it used to be," she added.

Jurong West resident Daniel Tan, 72, is happy that the refurbished park has maintained its tranquillity.

"My wife and I jog here twice a week. There is so much to explore in the Gardens that it does not feel crowded." 

Kartini Omar, group director of Jurong Lake Gardens at NParks, said: "We hope that the Gardens will provide a vision for a better tomorrow — one that provides ecologically, socially as well as climate-resilient parks and gardens for the future." 

SM Lee was hosted by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, and was joined by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and some MPs.

From Sept 8 to 22, the Gardens is holding the third and largest edition of Lights by the Lake. More than 300 handcrafted lanterns depicting Chinese folklore and the Gardens' biodiversity will be displayed and lit at night.

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