Yiyuan Garden, a classical-Suzhou-style garden, will be built in the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris.
In 2005, Zhang Xinsheng, the chairman of UNESCO's Executive Board at that time, suggested that China should build a Chinese-style garden in the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris as a cultural gift.
In the early June, 2006, Suzhou municipal government sent an expert team to Paris to formulate a detailed construction plan of the garden, containing 4 parts and 8 landscapes. The plan has been modified at least 10 times.
The name of the garden comes from Zhou Yi, The Book of Changes, a Chinese classic on divination and philosophy. The garden will cover some 700 sq m, and it will be a new sight in Paris when completed, rather than decorating the front yard of UNESCO only.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2007)
