The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently announced on its official website the exhibition cases for the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. The case on the conservation and utilization of Suzhou gardens stood out from 100-plus submissions from around the world, becoming one of the only three Chinese entries.
Founded in 1895, the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, is one of the world’s oldest and most influential architectural events, attracting great attention from the global architecture community and receiving strong support from the local government. This year’s Biennale is jointly hosted by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, the City of Venice, and the Royal Commission for AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
The case on Suzhou gardens submitted by the Suzhou Gardening and Greening Bureau is titled “Suzhou Garden Archives--Vivid Records of Conservation and Utilization of Heritage Gardens”, which showcases the outstanding contributions of the Suzhou Garden Archives, the only professional garden archives in China, to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. It has been praised as a model for the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage through archives by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe.
The Biennale is to open in Venice, Italy, on May 9 and will last until October. The journey through the exhibition of Suzhou gardens will be enriched by information panels, bilingual promotional videos, as well as displays of a model of the vault from Canglang Pavilion and Ming-style tiles, offering visitors a chance to learn more about Suzhou’s achievements in heritage value interpretation, architectural aesthetics, digitalization of heritage, community engagement, and heritage management.
During the exhibition, the organizers will host various interactive activities, including inviting visitors to make paper models of Suzhou gardens.
Suzhou and Venice are sister cities. The appearance of Suzhou garden archives on this year’s Biennale will help the two sides further deepen exchanges and cooperation in cultural heritage protection.
