Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

This guide to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver starts with the eight-lane freeway once planned to run through this stretch of Chinatown, and the residents and planners who fought until the city killed the project. In its place, fifty-two artisans arrived from Suzhou in 1985 carrying Ming-dynasty joinery techniques and no power tools, screws or glue. You'll hear about the crates of limestone and nan wood shipped from China, and how the designers underestimated just how demanding the traditional construction would be. Listen for how each wall and latticed window around you is positioned to frame a particular view.