Chinese Garden of Friendship

Located in Darling Harbour next to Chinatown, the Chinese Garden of Friendship has been a place of relaxation in Sydney since 1988. Built as a symbol of friendship between Sydney, New South Wales and the city of Guangzhou in the province of Guangdong, China (sister cities of sister states), to mark Australia’s bicentennial in 1988, it is one of only a few public Chinese gardens outside mainland China.

Open daily, there is an entry fee which includes a guided tour if you don’t want to wander around and discover the gardens for yourself.

Getting There

We walked here from Chinatown, but the closest light rail stations are Paddy’s Market, Chinatown and Exhibition Centre, each a five-minute walk away. The closest ferry wharf is Barangaroo, although that is a 20-minute walk.

Gardens

Unlike most of the other gardens found in Sydney, there are no formally laid out flowerbeds or manicured lawns here. Instead, wild aspects of nature are recreated in landscapes that feature waterfalls, mountains, lakes and forests.

Following the Taoist principles of ‘Yin-Yang’, the opposing yet complementary and balanced forces, and ‘Wu-Xing’, the five elements or phases—wood, fire, earth, metal and water, the gardens are peaceful and relaxing. 

Garden Walls

Two of the impressive walls within the garden are the Cloud and Dragon walls. Featuring two flying dragons, the Dragon Wall was a gift from Guangdong, with the brown dragon representing Guangdong, and the blue dragon New South Wales.

Pavilion

There are 17 pavilions in the Gardens, but one is larger than the others and overlooks the pond.

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What Did We Think of the Chinese Garden of Friendship ?

A relaxing place to visit and get away from the city for a while and take in some Chinese culture.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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