This was pretty easy to get to by public transportation. The "public" garden still felt isolated and removed from a city. Very pretty, lots to look at. We took the tour, I can't imagine we would have gotten nearly as much out of the place if we had not. The architecture and details were fascinating. more

Having been to Vancouver for several weekend trips over the years, I had never visited Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden. But I'd always been an armchair admirer of Chinese Art and Architecture, so I thought I'd give it a try. I will concede that it is tiny. What it lacks in area it compensates for admirably in beauty... more

Some of the negative reviews have suggested that the Garden is not worth the $8 admission. I actually think it is a very worthwhile experience. I've lived in Japan and toured the gardens of Kyoto and I thought the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardentcompared favourably enough and very favourably with some of the other tourist attractions in Vancouver (eg. the $25... more

I highly recommend that if you visit this garden, you take the tour. It is really not very big, but there are a lot of things condensed into a small space, and the average person will not appreciate the symbolism of its elements. The guide was very passionate about it, and I must say I did learn a lot. There... more

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's gets a lot of attention in Vancouver guide books. It's in the book, "10,000 places to visit before you die." While the park is worth a visit even if the area surrounding Chinatown is a bit dicey, it doesn't compare to Nitobe Memorial Japanese Garden at the University of British Columbia. Nitobe is not as easy to... more

A layman and an musician hearing a Beethovan symphony will be two very different and distinct experiences. The same principle applies to viewing the classical Chinese garden. Without some knowledge of the construction and the essence of this type of garden, it becomes a mere curiosity and in ten minutes, it seemingly is a waste of time and money. It... more

The garden is remarkable and while we would have enjoyed it, we would not have fully appreciated the depth of meaning behind many of the items, such as roof tile, placement of doors, mosiac floors, sculpture etc. Truly, our docent was very very good at explaining the garden and helping us to understand how it would have been used. Another... more

I thought it was a bit expensive and small at first but after going on the tour I could see how much detail has been put into the garden. If you're the type of person that goes through museums without taking time to actually look at paintings then this place is probably not for you. I was told that the... more

Okay. I respect Vancouver's Chinatown community, city, planners etc., in pooling all this funding and creating this garden but it's not worth your time. If you've seen a brochure, you've seen it all. Also, it's in a really shady area. The Eastside INCLUDES Chinatown. Certainly it's okay to be there when all the other Chinese people are out but otherwise,... more