Experience calm and relaxation by exploring Wichita’s Chinese garden.
The Chinese Garden is a picture if serenity with its tranquil winding paths, magnificent stone foo dog statues, and walking paths. Explore a surreal garden filled with visual and auditory beauty, created with elements of water and diverse living and non-living art design. The Chinese Garden is a place of peace.
In October, I had the chance to visit Wichita’s Botanical Gardens and experience the Chinese garden for myself. Upon entering the garden, the utilitarian lobby transitioned from an everyday space to a craftsman’s masterpiece of living and non-living form.
WHEN A RELAXING VISIT IS NEEDED
Like many of us, I needed time to relax. A vacation was needed to slow down and disconnect from the incessant interruption of technology.
For me, a single phone call, an email asking for a status update, or a spontaneous text message can easily disrupt my entire day. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I visited the Botanical Gardens in Wichita at the beginning of my vacation.
I could tell that I wasn’t fully relaxed as I wanted to be. I was overdue for a vacation, and I knew it.
I was surprised by how quickly I felt relaxed when entering the gardens. And this sense of relaxation occurred while I had walked through the Chinese garden. I hope that my story today will do justice to the amazing relaxing experience I had. If you’re in Wichita or just need to relax, it is my hope that you too can find some peace for yourself.
When entering the entrance to the botanical gardens, visitors are immediately greeted by a bronze statue of a child. I was so entranced by her graceful lines, I failed to notice the quietness of the area. A quietness that let me know I had been left behind by the group I was traveling with. Walking quickly to catch up with my tour group, I was warmly welcomed by a garden staff member.
Being a gardener myself, I know that gardens are living entities, with a vitality and personality of their own. A garden requires daily care and effort without the guarantee of knowing how it will turn out.
When I entered the lobby, I knew I would have the opportunity to see the efforts of many people working to make the space enjoyable. I had no idea that the Botanical Garden held beauty far beyond its greenery; the physical art, like the whimsical child in front, was just a hint of what was yet to come.
The atmosphere in the small lobby was unassuming and welcoming at the same time.
The polished floor reminded me of a school or community center hallway, well-worn with a muted shine. The well-cared for utilitarian space matched my hope that the grounds in October would still yield a visual display enhanced by the same love and well-maintained care.
The hall visually curved to the left towards the gift shop, inviting me to walk that way. But to my surprise we were walking into space on the right. Little did I know that I was about to experience something far more remarkable than the simple pleasure of a green garden.
Delight and awe awaited me long before I set foot in Wichita’s Chinese garden.
The journey to tranquility started with a show of luxury.
FOM ORDINARY TO LUXURY
As I walked through the hallway leading outside to the Chinese garden the inside space became less utilitarian. I did not notice this at first as I began following the group with my head looking down and my hands fiddling with my camera. Little did I know that as my feet had only automatically traveled a few feet down the hallway, I had left the common place behind.
The hallway broadened to welcome me with a life-sized lacquered screen of a serene Chinese scene of affluent women dressed in flowing pinks, grays, yellows, and orange. Symbolically, the colors speak of inner peace, formality and balance, energy, happiness, and friendship.
The symbolism felt like a fitting greeting in the Chinese garden space.
As I walked further down the hallway I came upon a very large stained-glass window in the ceiling. The muted light felt joyful as it washed muted colors with abandon onto the floor below. This vision of lighted serenity was designed to illuminate the space and felt fitting with its amber, greens and blues designed as a prelude to the outdoors to come.
Marveling at the expanse of color washing over the space, my eyes noticed the muted kaleidoscope of colors contrasting sharply with a bone white sculpture of horses encased in glass nearby.
The power and energy of the horses sculpted in marble felt dangerous. Would the glass shatter if it could not contain the horse’s fierce energy? The power exuded by the sculpture was in utter contrast with the serene view from above.
I wondered at the symbolic nature of these barely contained horses. I was surprised later to realize the myth and deeper meaning behind them. I wondered about the story the horses wanted to tell. [Link to article of story of Zaofo]
We left the indoor space and entered the outdoor garden, where the powerful energy of the statue and the peaceful colors created a striking contrast to what was outside.
WHEN YOUR EXIT IS GUARDED BY DRAGONS OR RATHER FOO DOGS
Upon exiting the inside space, I was caught off guard by two foo dogs guarding the entrance to the garden. These two guardians were imposing with their faces stuck in a perpetual growl that nearly stopped me in my tracks.
I was struck by the irony that they sit not guarding the treasures inside the building but guarding the outside garden space.
Their intense and focused gaze made me feel like I accidentally walked into a meeting I wasn’t supposed to be in.
Just like I would expect admonishing stares from the inhabitants in the room, the dragon’s stares questioned my presence in the garden.
Since entering the main entrance of the garden, I had experienced peace, energy and power.
As I walked past the foo dogs and wandered into the garden, I was surrounded by bronze and stone art. The stone and metal art expressed a permanence to an otherwise living, breathing space.
This journey of experience is artfully crafted by the master gardeners making Wichita’s Botanica so appealing.
The rich green plants with different colors and textures, along with rocks rising from the ground, formed a natural background for the buildings. Water flowed through the hard lines of rocks and green spaces, adding another dimension of experience.
THE WATER THAN RUNS THROUGH IT
Flowing gracefully through the garden space is water.
Water bubbling and splashes can be heard as graceful KOI fish can be seen swimming elegantly beneath bridges and walkways.
As my eyes were drawn to the source of the splashing water, I caught flashes of fish undulating in their bright oranges, whites, and yellows.
The KOI fish with their bright electric colors flicked and rolled in the brown, at times black water. Green and white-water lilies gently floated on the water, disturbed only moderately by the tempest of activity below them.
My ears could also hear the soothing sound of a fountain adding a sense of tranquility. The exterior garden wall was a mural of painted tiles and the iron window cut outs created an outdoor courtyard of simple pleasures.
DRAGONS BE EVERYWHERE
Relaxed and at peace, my mind was still, and I realized walking the path amid the garden was to follow in the footsteps of a great dragon.
Prior to noticing the dragon, I had been gazing at the lovely green space with its diverse plants, weaving and undulating in sharp and rounded shapes. The breeze and the fresh air felt cool to my skin as fall has set in.
With a clear mind, I was delighted to notice that the curves of the walkways mimicked the curves of the walls. The walls had terra-cotta shingles on top, and to my happiness the curved wall resembled the spine of a mighty dragon. The sound of the water created an audible movement that flowed with the dragon-inspired wall. At the end of the pathway of dragon spines was the head of a great Chinese dragon.
Contrary to my expectations of feeling coming face to face with a dragon at the end of my walk, I was at peace and felt childlike wonder.
My heart held on to this sense of wonder and I held my curiosity tight as I stepped into the Shakespeare Garden. It was not long before I realized that the Botanical Garden was not what it seemed, it was a garden of another sort. Wichita’s Botanica hidden garden of water. [Link to blog article about the garden of water]
DISCOVER TRANQUILITY AT THE CHINESE GARDEN IN WICHITA TODAY
Whether you are visiting Wichita and wondering ‘what to do in Wichita Kansas’ or you have finished a hectic work week, and you are looking for a way to enjoy nature and unwind, the Chinese garden should be on your list of places to visit.
Plan to visit Wichita’s Botanical Garden…
Location: Botanica, The Wichita Garden is located at: 701 Amidon St, Wichita, KS 67203.
Website: For more details to visit the garden view their website here: https://botanica.org/
Phone: (316) 264-0448
Calendar/Newsletter: Sign up for more information here: https://botanica.org/email/
Pricing: At the time of this blog post, ticket prices varied based on age (approximate $8-$10 range), with free admission for children under 2 years old. Pricing information may be found here: https://botanica.org/contact-us/
Ready to experience this oasis of calm? Plan your visit now.
