LONDON, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-style streamside garden will be created in Salford's new 154-acre Bridgewater Garden with the funding from both Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and Chinese community in Manchester.
During the launching ceremony of the garden in Bridgewater Garden on Tuesday, representative of the Chinese community in Manchester handed over a donation of 150,000 pounds (about 195,560 U.S. dollars) to RHS Director General Sue Biggs.
Zheng Xiyuan, China's Consul General of the Consulate General in Manchester, Biggs and a representative of the Chinese community in Manchester jointly planted a calyx canthus in the streamside garden to mark the start of its construction.
Zheng said that the establishment of a Chinese style garden in Bridgewater Garden is of special significance, reflecting the green concept of "Belt and Road Initiative". He believed that the friendship between the Chinese and British people will blossom like calyx canthus and the "Golden Era" of Sino-British relations will continue to develop.
"We believe that the friendship between the Chinese and British people, a fusion between Chinese and overseas Chinese in our community and our British friends will also break out like the calyx canthus," said the Chinese diplomat.
Biggs told Xinhua that she is happy to witness the launch of the Chinese garden project. She said the RHS hopes to take this opportunity to showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Chinese plants and the enormous contribution of Chinese plants to British gardening. She is looking forward to strengthening cooperation with China in horticulture.
"It's been so exciting, so all the Chinese communities involved in fundraising to create a beautiful Chinese streamside Garden here," said Biggs.
At the invitation of the RHS, a group of Chinese experts from the China Flower Association and the Foreign Forestry Cooperation Project Center of the China's State Forestry and Grassland Administration visited the garden and discussed with RHS of the details for building the Chinese-style garden.
Currently the largest gardening project in Europe, the Bridgewater Garden will open to the public in 2020. Named after the historic Bridgewater Canal which runs along the southern end of the site, the garden is in the former estate of the First Earl of Ellesmere, who built Worsley New Hall in the 1840's.
Taking inspiration from the heritage of the site, the RHS will build the garden into a world-class garden in North West England.
