Dunedin Sun Gets the Better of Authentic Chinese Materials

Maintenance work will begin next week on the Pai Lau, the iconic ceremonial entrance to the Dunedin Chinese Garden.

A scheduled item on the on-going maintenance plan of the Garden, some repair and re-painting work has now been moved forward to deal with an unexpected deterioration of the paintwork.

It would appear that Dunedin's high UV factor has taken an early toll on both the paintwork and some of the woodwork of the Pai Lau.

All materials, as with everything else above ground in the Garden, came to Dunedin from Shanghai and Suzhou during the construction of the Garden and it wasn't anticipated that there would be such a significant difference between the two climates and the effect New Zealand's unusually high UV levels might have on the structure.

In its desire to use authentic materials throughout, Dunedin has learned the hard way that some of the Chinese materials used were not designed to withstand our harsher weather conditions.

Since then much research has gone into the planning of this earlier than anticipated maintenance to ensure that the Pai Lau's authenticity is retained while safeguarding its future resilience.

Fortunately, a substantial donation has been received from a benefactor through the Dunedin Chinese Gardens Trust to help with the cost of the maintenance project and the Garden is expecting to announce further funding from other sources shortly.

This should ensure not only that the work is carried out within an appropriate timeframe but that it will be paid for almost entirely from the donations of benefactors including those within the city's Chinese community.

Work is due to begin immediately and is expected to take about six to eight weeks depending on the weather.