Walter Liew's Dragon Garden II

DRAGON GARDEN II

Nine months ago, in July of 2001, I visited the Hawaii Bonsai Cultural Center garden located in Waimanalo on the island of Oahu for the first time. I was very impressed but sad that Walter was ill. He has since recovered and is again making strong progress in building his garden! Walter was born in 1935 in China in the hometown of Confucius, educated in Taiwan, and knows Chinese penjing masters Yee-sun Wu, Yunhua Hu, and Quingquan Zhao. He is a "classic scholar-farmer" who personally handled the art treasures of China that ended up in Taiwan after the People's Republic of China was formed in 1949. He knows Chinese history, philosophy and artistic values. In this visit, I got to see the start of his personal cultural and art collection exhibit.


Detail from a major artifact in the Liew Collection.

	*WALTER & ANN LIEW* with one of the significant pieces in the Liew Collection, a 900-year old ceramic doll. The collection includes historically prominent pieces that are clearly of museum quality stature! The most recent improvements include renovation of the main building to include additional entry doors, platforms and backgrounds for the artifact and furniture exhibition. While the garden is difficult to find, it will be a unique cultural oasis for anyone interested in Chinese history, culture, and art!
	Chinese display stands tend to have very complex carvings and were created in a greater variety. This small stand has five legs with an extensive amount of detail throughout! The Liew collection includes a number with more complex details!
	Note the details of this ceramic piece!
	This is one of a number of hand carved original art pieces carved from a single block of wood!

The Liews continue to develop their huge open-ended dream. They have begun to teach classes; and as they create a larger support group that better understand and appreciate their goals, they'll get more help and participation. For a unique insight into Chinese culture and the penjing art, I strongly recommend that visitors to the Island of Oahu to visit the Liew's Hawaii Bonsai Culture Center. Open only by appointment.
~~~David W. Fukumoto (April 18, 2002)
HAWAII BONSAI CULTURAL CENTER
41-909 Mahailua Street, Waimanalo, Hawaii 96795
Phone (808) 373-9266 or (808) 259-6886; FAX (808) 394-5551
E-mail: bonsaiculture@aol.com: ________________________________________________________________

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