QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK: From a Gravel Quarry to a Place of Beauty

Beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver started out as a basalt quarry owned by the C.P.R.  The quarry was officially closed in 1911 but the land was left like an ugly scar on the landscape for nearly two decades.  In 1940 the site was given the name of Queen Elizabeth Park after the 1939 visit of King George VI and his consort, Elizabeth. But it wasn't until 1949 that anything was done to transform the site by the Parks Board.  The quarry was then planted as an arboretum with the intention of displaying all the tree species native to Canada.

B.C. Dogwood

Other trees were planted too, including this Lebanese Cedar which was a gift to the park.

The main quarry was developed next and by 1969 Mr. Prentice Bloedel donated over a million dollars toward a new plaza, waterways, fountains and the domed Bloedel Floral Conservatory.

Today the Park is a favorite location for weddings and family excursions. It's a pleasure to stroll among the floral displays and gardens or to enjoy some spectacular scenic city views.

One winter or rainy days be sure and visit the Bloedel Conservatory which is filled with tropical plants and a hundred free flying exotic birds.  http://www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/bloedel/index.htm

Or stop for a meal at the Seasons in the Park Restaurant (open daily) www.vancouverdine.com/season-park

The Park is located off 33rd Avenue between Cambie and Main Street.

www.vancouver.ca/parks/parks/queenelizabeth





ENJOY A ZEN MOMENT IN THE SUN YAT-SEN GARDENS

This beautiful garden and park in the midst of Vancouver’ Chinatown is an authentic reproduction of an age-old Chinese tradition. Classical gardens such as these were popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Ming scholars had private gardens where they could live and work. The gardens followed certain traditional designs to provide the scholar with tranquility and spiritual energy.

This garden is dedicated to Sun Yat-Sen, the ‘father of modern China”. Like all Chinese gardens of that era, is based on the harmony of four main elements: rock, water, plants and architecture. Blended together they create a perfect balance -- the yin and yang.

The rocks used in the garden and park were imported from Lake Tai near the Chinese city of Suzhou. These limestone rocks, known for their rough beauty, are placed in various locations throughout the Garden, around a jade-green pond meant to inspire tranquility. (The softness of the water balances the hardness of the rock).

The Garden and Park are is planted with a variety of symbolic plants, mixing native Chinese and local plants including bamboo, cypress, pine, flowering plum and miniature rhododendron.
The traditional architecture, found in all classical Chinese gardens, blends with the natural elements.

Adjacent to the Garden is the Dr. SunYat-Sen park which compliments the Garden. The entrance to the Park is free. There is a bust of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen , who visited Vancouver frequently, at the entrance gate. Next to the Park and Garden is the Chinese Cultural Centre, on Chinatown’s main street.

There is an admission fee for entry into the Garden, but the Park is free, and it’s well worth a visit at any time of year, a place to get away from the busy city streets where you can meditate on the beauties of nature in a serene setting.