AFTER a three-year delay, the Harmonious Enjoyment Garden, a gift from the People’s Republic of China has officially been handed over to the Jamaican Government.

The handing-over ceremony took place yesterday on the grounds of the Hope Royal Botanical Gardens, which is home to the Chinese-themed garden, and was attended by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller; Opposition Leader Andrew Holness; Lady Allen, wife of the governor general; chargé d’Affaires for the embassy of the People’s Republic of China Xua Guoshun, among other stakeholders and representatives from the public.

The garden should have been developed and handed over in time for Jamaica’s 50th birthday celebrations in August of 2012, which would have marked the 40th year of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica.

“Chinese are an important part of the Jamaican family. For this project, the Chinese were responsible for the architectural design, the preparation of work in drawings, construction, machinery, equipment and, in addition to the technical expertise which they brought to this project, they also brought love and sentiments of peace and friendship,” said Prime Minister Simpson Miller in her remarks.

The prime minister stated that at the ground-breaking ceremony last year, it was agreed that the garden would be a symbol of the enduring friendship between the two countries and a space for harmony, inspiration and a place where “the east meets west for a greater understanding of ourselves and our world”.

“The garden was so named to project the harmonious cooperation between Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China,” said Leslie Chung, chairman of the National Preservation Foundation (NPF), in his overview of the gardens.

According to Chung, a typical Chinese garden is enclosed by walls and includes one or more ponds, trees, flowers and an assortment of pavilions in the gardens connected by winding paths and zigzag galleries. The garden is built on an axis that is defined by north, south, east and west ceremonial gates and consists of architectural features depicting aspects of oriental philosophy, mythology and the doctrine of Feng Shui.

The 11-acre garden took 17 months to be completed with construction beginning in February 2014 and ending in July of this year. The landscaping phase of the project was partly undertaken by the NPF, although major setbacks from the drought and subsequent water restrictions have been experienced. Chung said the completed layout will have various unique vistas of locally sourced plants that will replicate popular oriental species among other elements. The NPF also has the responsibility, among other things, to ensure proper lighting as well as surveillance cameras are installed in the garden.

Chung said one of the objectives of the gift would be to enhance the relationship between Jamaica and China, to promote cultural exchange as well as provide the development of an additional attraction for Jamaicans and the tourism industry.

The project was originally funded through the grant aid agreement on economic and technical cooperation between people of Jamaica and China.

The total cost of the project was $240 million, which was subscribed primarily by the Chinese grant fund, with monetary contributions from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education Fund and the Chinese Benevolent Association.