Thursday 3 March
Sister City Anniversary Concert Hastings Opera House 7.30pm
A two hour extravaganza of music & dance
Free Entry but please pick up tickets at the i-site in the Westerman Building to guarantee your seat.
Friday 4th March
Mayoral Banquet Assembly Room at 6pm
Tickets from Ticket Direct
Saturday 5th March
International Cultures Day, Cornwall Park, Tomoana Road, Hastings
An all day event
LAST MEETING: Friday 4th February
The DVD on Spring Festival was excellent viewing and very informative.
Thank you Janet and Dan for showing us how to make delicious jiaozi the traditional way to welcome in the New Year.
Come and say Ni Hao to us at the NZCFS stall at this action packed day. We have Chinese tea and many craft items for sale as we raise money for our projects in China.
The highlight this year will be a group of 15 performers and musicians from Guilin, as part of the Hastings Guilin 30th Anniversary Celebrations.
Hastings Guilin Sister City – A Tour of the Osmanthus Garden
The Osmanthus Gardens in Cornwall Park have undergone a rejuvenation in preparation for the 30th anniversary of Hastings Sister City relationship with Guilin, with lighting and new gates being the key features of the changes. The lights will be turned on until 9pm each night during the week of the celebrations, starting on Monday February 28th.
The garden was designed by Guilin landscape designer Mr Zhao Jian, from the Guangxi Institute of Botany who spent a year in Hastings working on the design. The Chinese Association donated one of the pavilions well before the Osmanthus Garden was designed and this was incorporated into the expanded garden.
The design uses a skillful combination of Chinese and New Zealand elements and plants. The most prominent plants are bamboo, camellia and the scented Osmanthus tree after which the garden is named.
Entrance to the garden on Tomoana Road is through the Full Moon Gate, a traditional symbol of unity, family and the nation. The gate is set in a simple white Chinese wall embellished with a striking line of red and topped with green ornamental tiles.
Just inside the gate is a Taihu Rock, a wonderful sculptural solitary feature taken from Taihu Lake near Shanghai.
Water is utilized throughout the garden, with different elevations recreating the moving water of waterfalls and separating into placid streams and secluded ponds.
The Crooked Bridge, which floats above the pond, is a zigzag of concrete, which discourages evil spirits from following you into the garden. The bridge leads to the Waterside Pavilion with its red hot pillars, elaborate eaves and spectacular roofing tiles. The Pavilions serve the dual purpose of being decorative features and places to rest and enjoy the garden and maybe play a game of mahjong.
The Friendship Bridge located at the heart of the garden symbolizes the relationship between Hastings and Guilin, and leads across to Plum Blossom Island and the Peony Pavilion.
