Lou Lim Leoc Garden, Macau
Lou Lim leoc Garden was built by Macau businessman and scholar, Lou Kau. Named after his son, the garden has several entrances, but by far the best is via the tea museum. The garden was built in the classic ‘Suzhou’ style which encompasses miniature landscapes and grottoes. History tells us that Sun Yat Sen was a friend of Lou Kau and a frequent visitor to the garden and mansion contained within. In fact, it was here that the good Dr fled when the Manchu’s came after him as a revolutionary in 1894. This was to be his last ever trip to Macau although his family stayed behind.
The garden is very popular with Tai Chi enthusiasts, no doubt inspired by the serenity of the place. But something not so serene was the use of one of the pavilions as an impromptu stage where lots of traditional Chinese instruments are played, thankfully the musicians are quite good so it doesn’t spoil the peace too much. The centrepiece of the garden is a large lotus pond which contains Koi and some huge examples of the flower.
By the way, with regards to Sun Yat Sen, Macau has an eponymous ‘memorial’ park in the North part of the peninsula (in fact, right next door to the barrier gate). Having been there and seen that there is absolutely nothing of there in terms of historical interest, I am recommending that you don’t waste your time going there yourselves unless you want to see a view over the border to ZhuHai.
On another side note, i can tell you that this garden was also used in a scene from “Game of Death”, a very tenuous Bruce Lee link (given that he wasn’t really in it per se).
