By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Attendees at Seattle Chinese Garden’s 35th Anniversary Banquet (Photo by James Tabafunda)
More than 300 community members, supporters, and civic leaders gathered on June 6 at Diamond Bay Restaurant in the Chinatown-International District to mark the 35th anniversary of an enduring cultural landmark, one that has become a symbol of cross-Pacific friendship and a hub for Chinese arts and heritage in the Pacific Northwest. The evening banquet, a sold-out event, honored decades of achievement, recognized the contributions of key advocates, and launched an ambitious new fundraising campaign to support a major expansion.
A night of celebration
Emcee Mona Locke (Photo by James Tabafunda)
Former Washington First Lady Mona Locke served as emcee at the banquet, which featured an introduction of honorees, a live auction, and videos. She said, “We are thrilled to have so many people from throughout the community join us in this great celebration of Seattle Chinese Garden (SCG)’s honorees, Jerry and Charlene Lee.”
A red and yellow dragon dance performance weaves its way through the tightly packed audience. (Photo by James Tabafunda)
The event began with a two-dragon dance performance on stage, weaving its way through the tightly packed audience and setting a festive tone for an evening that featured a martial arts demonstration by the Seattle Shaolin Kung Fu Academy, heartfelt tributes, and calls to action. Locke also welcomed a large contingent of local dignitaries, including Deputy Mayor Greg Wong, and several current and former city and county council members.
The banquet’s program reflected the garden’s mission: to serve as a bridge of friendship between Seattle and Chongqing, China, and to foster appreciation for Chinese culture among people of all backgrounds. The SCG, located on a 4.6-acre site at South Seattle College, is the only Chongqing-style garden outside China and has become a focal point for cultural exchange, educational programs, and community gatherings since its founding in 1989.
Honoring legacy builders: Jerry and Charlene Lee
Photo by Assunta Ng
Central to the evening was the recognition of Jerry and Charlene Lee, longtime philanthropists and community leaders whose decades of support have been instrumental in the garden’s development. Mimi Gan, a close friend and community advocate, delivered an insightful and moving tribute.
“Jerry and Char have spent their lives planting seeds of kindness, philanthropy, and love so that others may grow and flourish … Their philosophy is simple. Treat everyone like family. Approach every relationship, whether in business, charity, or friendship, with generosity and partnership. Because giving always finds its way back.”
Jerry Lee, an accomplished architect and former principal of MulvannyG2 Architecture, now known as MG2, has not only shaped skylines but also fostered community through his charitable work, from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to the Asian Counseling and Referral Service food bank. Charlene Lee, a breast cancer survivor and creative spirit, has been equally dedicated, supporting numerous causes and bringing artistry and warmth to every community effort. The couple, co-founders of the garden’s Bamboo Circle donor group, were honored with proclamations from both the City of Seattle and King County, recognizing their nearly 30 years of service to the garden and the broader community.
A garden as a cultural bridge
The SCG’s origins trace back to the 1983 establishment of the Seattle-Chongqing sister city relationship, which soon led to a vision of building a Sichuan-style garden in Seattle. The Seattle Chinese Garden Society was formed in 1989, and by 1999, the first pavilion was dedicated on a site chosen for its sweeping views of the city and harbor. Over the years, the garden has grown to include signature features such as the Song Mei Pavilion, bamboo groves, the Chan Education Center, the Knowing the Spring Courtyard, the Chongqing Entry Gatehouse, and the Luoyang Peony Garden—one of the largest public tree peony gardens on the West Coast.
The garden has hosted a wide array of cultural events, from Tai Chi at dawn to seasonal festivals and horticultural workshops, attracting more than 100,000 visitors in the past two years alone. “The Seattle Chinese Garden will inspire global understanding by immersing visitors in the richness and beauty of Chinese culture,” its vision statement reads.
Expansion plan: the Central Garden Project
The highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the Central Garden Project, the largest, most comprehensive expansion in the garden’s history. The new development will dramatically increase the garden’s scale and offerings, featuring multiple courtyards, a teahouse, a large lotus pond, a stream, a lake, and the four-story Floating Clouds Pavilion—a new architectural icon symbolizing the connection between Seattle and Chongqing. The project will also add the Gathering Together Hall for banquets and performances, an administration complex with offices, a gift shop, a library, and an education center.
The expansion is a collaboration between Seattle-based Jones & Jones Architects and design teams from Chongqing, with building components to be fabricated in China and assembled in Seattle by Chinese artisans to ensure authenticity.
Jones & Jones Architects, which has worked with the garden from the start, oversees the local design team and refines the master plan created in partnership with Chongqing designers.
The project’s timeline is ambitious: fundraising in 2025, finalizing design and permitting in 2026, construction beginning mid-2026, and targeted completion of the Central Garden phase in summer 2028. The entire garden is scheduled for completion by 2030.
Funding and community support
The scale of the Central Garden Project is matched by its budget: an estimated $30.6 million, including $22.6 million for construction, $1.95 million for artisan support, and a $4 million endowment to ensure long-term sustainability. To date, the garden has secured about $15 million in contributions, including $8.6 million in in-kind materials and skilled labor from the Chongqing government, $5 million from the City of Seattle, $1 million from individual donor Stella Chien, $353,000 from the garden’s board, and $50,000 from Jon Geiger.
Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss, who led a delegation to Chongqing in 2024 to mark the 41st anniversary of the sister city relationship, played a key role in securing city funding, despite a challenging budget year.
“We have the opportunity to build a legacy here in Seattle, period. We must get this done,” Strauss, the banquet’s first speaker, said. He emphasized that the city’s commitment depends on getting additional funding from state, county, and private sources. He also urged attendees to use their networks to help expand the pool of potential donors, strengthening fundraising efforts in 2025.
King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci echoed the theme of bridges and connections in her remarks, reading a proclamation that recognized the garden’s role as “a bridge between people here in the Northwest and people across the sea in China,” and celebrated its record of education, leadership, and excellence.
A response to challenging times
The fundraising campaign comes at a time of heightened tensions and a troubling rise in anti-Asian prejudice and hate crimes against Asian immigrants and Asian Americans. Former Gov. Gary Locke spoke passionately about the importance of cultural institutions like the SCG in combating xenophobia and promoting diversity.
“We need to finish this garden to show to the community the contributions and the rich culture of these ancestors. We are loyal Americans, but we’re also proud of our Chinese history and ancestry,” Locke said, urging continued support for the project. “We are loyal, proud Americans.”
SCG board member and tour coordinator Gary Tribble highlighted the garden’s role in fostering understanding and connection through its educational programs, docent-led tours, and family-friendly festivals.
“This is a people-to-people campaign. It is a sister city program, which is people-to-people diplomacy. And we are really a space for that to happen and to support that with everything we do,” Tribble said.
Looking forward
As the banquet continued with a live auction and short videos celebrating the garden’s history and future, the sense of momentum became obvious and palpable. The SCG stands not only as a horticultural and architectural treasure, but as a living testament to the enduring power of cultural exchange, community, and generosity.
With its expansion, the garden aims to become a world-class destination for visitors of all backgrounds, deepen Seattle’s ties to China, and serve as a beacon of understanding in challenging times. As Jerry Lee reflected, “We’ve been supporting Seattle Chinese Garden for nearly 30 years … If you get a chance, there’s a (capital campaign) donation form. Take it home or go visit the gardens and then you can decide for yourself if you can support it or not. But we’d appreciate it very much.”
For Seattle, the garden’s next chapter is not just a construction project—it is a community legacy of significance at many levels.
For more information on the Seattle Chinese Garden, go to https://www.seattlechinesegarden.org.
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