TO TOP

A special treasure within the Botanical Garden is the Chinese Garden Qian Yuan, a classical southern Chinese scholar's garden donated to the Ruhr University in 1990 by our partner university, the Tongji University of Shanghai.

When this fragile construction turned out to have suffered severe damage from our harsh climate within a few years, the Chinese Garden Society was founded in 2000 to prevent the imminent razing of the building and to collect donations for its renovation. After the Garden was reopened in October 2001 the Society remained in existence and now pursues two important goals:

  • to keep an eye open for new structural damage and to organize and assist in financing necessary repairs and maintenance work in coordination and cooperation with the Botanical Garden;
  • to acquaint the public with the Chinese Garden and its affairs by means of guided tours and other cultural events.

Guided Tours

Our traditional guided tours through the Chinese Garden are now over, but of course they will be on the schedule again, presumably from May 2024 onward through the summer. Exact dates will be posted here next spring.

Instagram

Our Society now has a well maintained presence on Instagram. The account chinesischergarten_bochum has over 650 subscribers and new photographs are constantly being posted. When you can't visit the Chinese Garden in person, this is a good alternative way to experience its flair and inhale its atmosphere.

The creation of the Chinese Garden, as told by the architect

In the German-Chinese book Qian Yuan – Chinesische Gartenkunst in Bochum, the architect Prof. Zhang Zhenshan lets us partake of his thoughts while designing the Chinese Garden all the way through to its completion. Numerous drawings, explanations and fascinating details are complemented by stirring photographs. With great charm the book imparts well-founded insights into the art and philosophy of Chinese gardens.

The Society has purchased the remainder of this edition and the book is for sale at the reduced price of only 10 euros, either at the Campus Shop (Unishop) in the lobby of the administration building of the Ruhr University (Building UV) or from the secretariat of the Botanical Garden. Mail orders can only be filled by the Botanical Garden for an additional 5 euros for postage.


Flyer

Our flyer about the Chinese Garden and the Society (unfortunately only available in German) was last updated in 2014. You can download it below and either read it on the screen or print it out double-sided on a DIN A4 sheet and fold it into thirds parallel to the shorter side to obtain the original format.

To comply with the European General Data Protection Regulation, the membership application contained in the flyer can no longer be accepted. If you would like to become a member (which would please us very much), please download the current version, in German, via the link in the right-hand column.


Our society is as old as this century, but it can only continue its work if we can attract new members. If you are as enchanted by the Chinese Garden as we are, please join the society and help us to preserve this place of rest and harmony and keep it in the public view.

You can download the double-sided German membership application with a data privacy declaration below. After filling it out and signing it, please send it to: Der Chinesische Garten e.V. , c/o Botanischer Garten der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44780 Bochum, Germany.

Membership application (in German)   (1.7 MB)

Donations

We are a recognized charity which furthers art and culture. Donations for these purposes can be deducted from taxable income for the German income tax. The bank receipt or a bank statement are acceptable proof for donations up to € 300 and for larger donations we will send you a receipt on the prescribed official form.

Donations can be made by bank transfer to the German bank account shown above (click on the picture to enlarge it).


Photos by:

Eberhard Koch and Wolfgang Stuppy