Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Korean Bell Garden, Unique in Western Hemiphere



This Saturday, May 10, 2014 we celebrate the second anniversary of the completion of the Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna. From 11:00 - 12:00 we will have music, speakers, and food that highlights some of the best elements of Korean culture. Some of the interesting facts about the Korean Bell Garden are:
·         All the structures were built by hand by artists from Korea.
·         The bell pavilion has virtually no nails or screws in it. Every piece was carved to fit together perfectly.
·         Large bells like this are common in many Asian countries with differences in how they are made. Korean Bells have an acoustic tube cast into the top to give them a unique sound.
·         This bell was cast in the Gyeonggi Province of Korea. Governor Kim from Gyeonggi Province recently visited the Bell Garden.
·         This bell is one of a kind with nature images from both Korea and Virginia cast into it. The Cardinal and Dogwood are both cast into the bell.
·         This bell  garden is unique in the Western Hemisphere. There is a Korean Bell in California, and another in Vancouver CA, but no other with a complete setting around it.
·         The whole Korean Bell Garden was built without any local tax funds. Community leaders raise the money primarily from private donors with help from both Gyeonggi Province, and the Republic of Korea.
·         From 2007 – 2012 the Korean American Cultural Committee  raised the money and oversaw the development of the garden.

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