Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society MCFGS

Leave a Legacy - DONATE to Phase II of 柳 明 園 Liu Ming Yuan - The 1st Changsha-style China Friendship Garden in U.S.

DONATIONS OF $2,000 entitle donors to have their names carved on the granite donor wall       ($4,000 for businesses and organizations)

To date we have raised more than $2 million and have completed Phase I and the first feature of Phase II of the St. Paul-Changsha China Friendship Garden at Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul, Minnesota.  

Another $3 million is needed for the construction of six Chinese features in Phase II, which include a Chinese Chess area, a Moongate Entrance, a Moon Viewing Platform, a Chinese M

oon Bridge, a flat bridge and mountain stream landscaping, and a Donor Wall. 

Major features of Phase I included: the Xiang Jiang Pavilion, a gift from Changsha of a replica of Changsha’s famous Aiwan Pavilion and surrounding plaza, as well as the West Entrance Arch and Hmong Heritage Wall granite sculpture (symbolizing the 5,000 year-old ancestral connection between the Minnesota Hmong and the China Hmong), with plants, rocks, and decorative pathways.  The first feature of Phase II, the Hmong Cultural Plaza, was installed in 2024.

In addition to the construction, we have hosted several arts & culture events, including the annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with Asian and Dakota performing artists, the annual four-language poetry contest (in Chinese, Hmong, Dakota, and English), Chinese calligraphy & painting exhibitions, photography exhibits, and Hmong embroidery exhibits.

Your contribution will make this dream a reality.  

This China Friendship Garden:

• is a symbol of Minnesota’s longstanding friendship with China and a recognition of its sister-city relationship with Changsha since 1988
• recognizes the historical and ancestral relationship of the Minnesota Hmong with the 2 million China Hmong in Changsha, Hunan Province
• promotes Minnesota’s understanding of China and of China’s rich cultural heritage
• serves as a recognition of the contributions of the Chinese American community to the Twin Cities
• serves to enhance peoples’ connection to and appreciation of nature
• builds a cultural bridge that will boost international trade and tourism between China and Minnesota

The  MN China Friendship Garden Society is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization with a mission is to establish China Friendship Gardens in Minnesota in order to further promote friendship and understanding between the peoples of China and Minnesota.  This is a collaboration with St. Paul Department of Parks & Recreation, the City of Changsha, and the Changsha Yanghu Wetlands Park. 

Visit the St. Paul - Changsha China Friendship Garden at Phalen Regional, 1624 Phalen Drive, St. Paul, MN