"This is a special place for us, "Christopher says. "And the landscape is so beautiful it always helps me to calm down, so I can leave everything outside, and just relax and appreciate the beauty that they've set up here and how well they tend it."

Another local guest, Tim, notes the beauty of the garden. "I love the Huntington and the opportunity to get away to some place beautiful in nature here in the heart of Los Angeles," he says. "It's quite stunning and the work that they've done is just breathtaking."

James Folsom, the Telleen-Jorgensen director of the Botanical Gardens, lauds the contributions from generous community donors, hard-working staff, volunteers, and talented architects and designers from China and the United States without whom the project could not have been made and who all contributed to making the garden the jewel in the Huntington's crown.

"Together we have created a world-class attraction that not only celebrates historical landscape traditions but also embodies the contemporary ideals of international cooperation and cross-cultural exchange," Folsom says.