Luo Linquan, consul general at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, toasts with guests at a welcome banquet in his honor on June 12 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Lan Su Chines Garden and the 27th anniversary of the Suzhou-Portland Sister Cities relationship. Provided to China Daily

Boasting elegant and delicate gardens dating back 1,000 years, Suzhou has been designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage site.

In 1999, the Suzhou city government decided to give a garden to Portland as a gift - an act of generosity that took hundreds of artists and craftsmen working around the clock 14 months to design, construct and ship piece by piece from Suzhou to Portland, and install.

Strolling around what he calls the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China, Luo said he was emotionally attached to Lan Su Chinese Garden the same way he was to the gardens of his hometown of Suzhou.

"This garden symbolizes the profound beauty of Chinese culture by welding architecture to the natural environment in a perfect way," said Luo. "It serves as a witness to the friendship and fruitful cultural exchanges between our two cities."

About 20 million tourists have visited the Lansu Chinese Garden in the past 15 years, said the garden management. Both cities believe they should work more closely in order to push forward cooperation in such fields as green technology and tourism.

There, said Luo, "the potential is huge."

junechang@chinadailyusa.com