Bellagio Conservatory celebrates Chinese Year of the Tiger

Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger.

By Robin Leach (contact)

Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 | 12:58 p.m.

Bellagio Celebrates Year of the Tiger

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Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger.

Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens celebrates Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger.

An early Happy New Year to all of our Chinese friends! Starting yesterday, the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens began its celebration of the 2010 Chinese New Year with a display rich in history and meaning. Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 14 this year, so it’s a double celebration! Our contributing photographer Tom Donoghue received an advance photo shoot on Saturday.

2010 is the Year of the Tiger, and the conservatory’s design is guided by the ancient practice of Feng Shui, the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a majestic tiger, whose coat is comprised of dried botanicals. The tiger stands among a garden of Taihu rocks and overlooks a tranquil pond of Koi, a symbol of abundance and fortune.

Rocks and water are viewed as essential features of any traditional Chinese garden and symbolize the larger world around us. After spending decades forming underwater, Taihu stones were chosen because they are believed to encourage circulation of ch’i, or natural energy.

Legend has it that Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year, and 12 came. The third animal in the Chinese zodiac, the tiger serves as a symbol of luck and bravery. Those born in the Year of the Tiger tend to be natural leaders, competitive and self-reliant.

Just steps away from Bellagio’s courageous feline ambassador, an 18-foot-tall Chinese God of Prosperity stands amid gold-leafed I-Ching coins, a traditional Chinese money symbol. Widely recognized as the strongest symbol of good fortune and great luck in the New Year, the God of Prosperity is flanked by two Ming Dynasty-styled dings, ancestral vessels that protect against bad fortune.

Nearby, a trio of 6-foot-tall giant pandas, made of more than 9,000 living plants, frolic in a lush garden filled with towering bamboo. Considered a national treasure in China and listed as an endangered species, pandas spend at least 12 hours each day eating as much as 84 pounds of bamboo.

A zigzag bridge leads to a wing-tipped Ming Dynasty-styled gazebo painted a deep red lacquer with gold trim and green-tiled roofs. Red signifies happiness, while the upturned roofline wards off evil spirits. The sharp pattern of the bridge protects against negative energy and bad spirits, and a majestic mountain, seen as a pillar between heaven and Earth, serves as a backdrop.

Feng Shui was used to position the flow of water into the conservatory, and not away, ensuring the flow of positive energy. Silk Chinese lanterns add to the auspicious nature of the exhibit on display through Feb. 28.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.