From October 29 to 31, 2024, the "Lion Forest Garden in My Eyes" International Communication Project was successfully organized by the Suzhou Lion Forest Management Office, under the guidance of the Suzhou Gardening and Greening Bureau. The project hosted four distinguished international experts: Paolo Vincenzo Genovese, an esteemed Italian professor at the College of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Zhejiang University; Giorgio Sinedino, a Brazilian sinologist and member of the International Confucian Association; Zoon Ahmed Khan, a young Pakistani scholar and researcher at the Belt and Road Institute of Tsinghua University; and Jan Jakub Zywczok, a young sinologist from Poland. Their three-day visit centered on exploring Suzhou's classical gardens, with a special focus on the Lion Forest Garden.
On the afternoon of October 31, a salon titled "The Beauty of Oriental Gardens in My Eyes" was held at Zhibai Pavilion within the Lion Forest Garden. In addition to the international experts, the salon was attended by Zhang Jie, Director of the Suzhou Lion Forest Management Office; Ni Lexian, Deputy Director of the Suzhou World Cultural Heritage Classical Gardens Protection Supervision and International Exchange Center; as well as Chinese guests, including technical staff members Huang Yinying, Wang Xuan, and Liu Xiao from the Suzhou Lion Forest Management Office.
The salon began with a short film showcasing the picturesque landscapes of the Lion Forest Garden. Zhang Jie then delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of the management office, highlighting that Suzhou's classical gardens are invaluable treasures of oriental garden art, rich with historical and cultural significance and profound artistic heritage. She expressed her hope that the international experts would use their unique expertise to serve as ambassadors of oriental garden culture, fostering cultural exchange and integration while sharing this extraordinary heritage with the world.
