Bao Mo Gardens, Guangzhou, China.

You thought I couldn't do it, didn't you! You thought I'd over-reached myself with this foolish ambition to find a place everyone said didn't exist when I didn't know this 8000+ square mile city and couldn't even speak the language to ask anyone?

But I've done it before. Recall how I tracked down the Artists' Village of Dafen; another place that everyone said didn't exist?

And now folks are telling me that someplace else doesn't exist?! Pshaw! Like I'd let that stop me.

Bao Mo Gardens. I've blogged about them before; about how these mythical gardens were supposedly created 600 years ago by the artist ...

...whose name I've forgotten ...

... who invented that now-traditional style of Chinese painting involving black inks and wet rice paper; how these gardens had been on the "100 Great Treasures of China" list every century since they were first created; how they were supposedly destroyed during the Revolution but resurrected in 1995. With such a history, how could I not attempt to hunt them down? To be in Guangzhou and not do so would be like ignoring the Loch Ness Monster while it's eating your picnic!

Well, all you nay-sayers out there, let me show you what I accomplished on this latest visit to Guangzhou:

Dah dah!
The Loch Ness Monster
eating my picnic!

Sorry the picture is so grossly over-exposed. I had my camera on Automatic and it appears to make really bad choices. But I guess there should be an element of bad photography when you're snapping Mythical Beasts!

And this Mythical Beast is huge. Here's a map showing you the overview of the place:

Acres of it,
divided into different sections,
featuring different things.

I only spent two hours in here, so I doubt I saw all, but let me take you through only a small sample of the places I did see:

There is so much more I'm not showing you. Like, I haven't included a single shot of the gorgeous bridges that link these different areas. But, overall, I think I've given you a fair representation of what is there to be seen.

However, the actual gardening aspect of it? The greenery? Mmmm, I think I'll leave that for a different post, undoubtedly called "Guangzhou City Council, Get Yourself a Decent Horticulturalist!" Honestly, the crimes against Botany that are being committed in this entire city! And Bao Mo Gardens is no exception!

But that's for a different post, so I'll give you just one example here:

Love that mix of colours!

It's all very pretty, yes?, until it suddenly dawns on you ... those vines ... there, in the background. Can you see what they are? And the moment you recognise them it's all "Oh no! You fools! You idiots! You stupid, stupid people!" Really, if they had anyone in the City Council who knew plants, these sorts of "Let's plant a curse for future generations!" mistakes just wouldn't happen.

But ignore the botany. It's the material-culture things that make this place so special. Like, the Pleasure Area where you listen to Chinese Opera.

This family hired out the entire facility.
Grandma's birthday wish?

And there's a museum dedicated to the Artist who created these gardens and whose name I've forgotten.

The walls of the Museum.
Gorgeous, huh!

Display cases of his possessions.

Only some are the actual objects
he used to paint with.

And there's the room I've chosen as the Most Beautiful on the Planet that houses Our Artist's collection of blue and white china:

Enormous Vases!

NEED! NEED!

I collect blue and white china. Yes, I know, people have told me - often! - that it's a very Lesbian-chic thing to do, but I can't help myself. However, there's nothing in my collection that comes near to the preciousness of the ones in here.

And the place has passageways-to-die-for. These link the different areas and are all so special, I think I'll do a separate post on them, so here's just one for now:

OK, a second one:

You'll have to wait for the others.

And there's an area devoted to Bonsai:


And several areas devoted to koi:

Way too many!
I think they sell them.

And they have lots and lots of those objects Lady R. thinks are "the most beautiful on the planet." Moon-gates! I took lots of photos of different ones for her, but I'll do a special post on them just for her, so here's just one for now:

Although there are so many other areas devoted to other things, I think I'll stop. It's becoming unwieldy and difficult inserting more photographs, so I'll end now with telling you that there are several areas simply devoted to solitude and prayer, all featuring the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin. Here's just one:

So, that's Bao Mo Gardens for you. I'm sure I'll be showing you more photographs in the future, but this is all for the moment.

Summing up? What did I think of my amazing discovery? Since I went to so much trouble to find the place, I would like to say I was swept away by the beauty of it all. However, I have a confession to make: there is something in the Chinese aesthetic that makes me really appreciate the Japanese. In Japan, they edit. They know "Less is More". They believe in Wabi - the perfect object in the perfect place - and Sabi - creating tiny moments that make you stop and pause and reflect on the meaning of your life and actions etc - which the Chinese don't do. Perfect objects? Yes indeed! China has these in abundance! In the perfect place? Maybe!

But ...

... Chinese do everything so exquisitely that everything says "look at me!" None of these great artisans want to back down and take second place to another great artisan so every piece demands your full attention and admiration and, in the end, I hate to say it, your head is spinning and it all becomes a little too much. In Bao Mo Gardens there is too much that is beautiful, too much to be admired, too much to take your breath away that by the end you feel exactly like this girl looks:

Ho hum!

But that's just me. You may LOVE nothing better than a surfeit of riches! And if that's the case, I can recommend Bao Mo Gardens highly.

How to get there? The city of Guangzhou is over 8000 square miles in size and even knowing Bao Mo Gardens is in the Panyu district won't really get you there easily. In the end I'm afraid I cheated. I hired a car and driver and made it his problem to find out where the Gardens were. And he, apparently, had no idea so went looking for it on the Internet ... and voila! Problem solved. I had discovered Bao Mo Gardens.

I recommend that, until Guangzhou discovers this treasure in their midsts for themselves, that this is the way you do it too.