This month we are excited to highlight our partner The Lan Su Chinese Garden.
Lan Su Chinese Garden is both a cultural landmark and a gathering place. How does your mission shape the way you foster belonging and connection among your staff/volunteers, visitors, and broader community?
Beyond our everyday mission, we envision a world where people of all backgrounds are valued; all cultures are celebrated; and community members have a deeper, more immersive world view. We want people to experience this whether they are visiting for the first time, volunteering, working alongside us, or returning as a member of the community.
We also think about belonging through accessibility and affordability. Visitors can find personal, welcoming connections with our staff, as well as free guides and resources in print, digital, and audio formats. Sensory tools are available for checkout as we are a KultureCity-certified sensory-inclusive location. We also participate in programs such as Museums for All, Arts for All, and Library Cultural Passes, and our $20 Moon Gate membership provides another accessible way to build an ongoing relationship with Lan Su.
As a member of the Old Town Chinatown community, we partner with neighboring businesses to offer member discounts and help drive visitors to the neighborhood. We also create opportunities for the Chinese diaspora and broader AANHPI community to share their traditions, art, music, food, and stories — from calligraphy demonstrations and live music to exhibits featuring local AANHPI artists, and partnerships with local Asian-owned bakeries such as Mei Sum, King’s Bakery, and Sugar & Flake.
What are some ways Lan Su celebrates Chinese culture and art while ensuring its programs and experiences are welcoming and meaningful to people from diverse backgrounds?
Lan Su is rooted in our mission to inspire, engage, and educate our global community in the appreciation of a richly authentic Chinese culture, and we believe that sharing those experiences can create meaningful opportunities for connection across cultures. Our programming begins with that authentic foundation, while also recognizing that Portland’s cultural landscape is much broader. Throughout the year, we invite community partners to share traditions and perspectives from across the AANHPI community. A great example is our annual Cultural Immersion Saturdays during AANHPI Heritage Month. Over the past three years, we’ve partnered with more than 20 local AANHPI cultural organizations to share their traditions through performances, exhibits, hands-on activities, and storytelling. May also begins with Oregon Rises Above Hate Day at Lan Su, a collaboration with a coalition of more than 65 local AANHPI organizations.
We are also proud to host the region’s longest-running Lunar New Year celebration, bringing this iconic festival to life over multiple weeks within one of the only eight classical Chinese gardens in North America. At the same time, our connection to Suzhou allows us to bring world-class performers and artists directly from our sister city in China. Together, these programs help us honor the depth of Chinese culture while creating opportunities for people from many different backgrounds to learn, participate, and find personal connections in this space.
Can you share an initiative, partnership, or internal practice that reflects Lan Su’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and authentic community engagement?
One of the ways we put inclusion into practice is through our partnership with KultureCity. Most of our staff are KultureCity-certified, giving our team additional training and tools to better welcome and support guests with a wide range of needs, including mobility challenges, neurodivergence, and invisible disabilities.
We know that large festivals and performance-heavy events can be particularly challenging for people who experience sensory sensitivities, so we strive to offer Sensory-Inclusive Nights whenever possible. These evenings provide a quieter alternative to some of our busier celebrations, allowing guests to experience the beauty and cultural richness of festivals in a more manageable and comfortable way. For us, inclusion means not only welcoming everyone through the gate, but continually asking what we can do to make the experience genuinely meaningful and accessible once they arrive.
Why is being a Partners in Diversity member important to Lan Su, and how does the partnership support your goals as an employer and community organization?
Lan Su is a walled scholar’s garden by design, but our role in the Portland community extends far beyond those walls. Being a member of Partners in Diversity gives us an opportunity to reach beyond our space, build relationships with people and organizations we might not otherwise connect with, and learn from a broader range of perspectives about what it means to create a truly inclusive workplace and community space.
That outside perspective is especially valuable to us because our goal is not simply to invite more people into Lan Su, but to make sure people feel that they belong once they arrive. Partners in Diversity helps us listen, learn, and continue challenging ourselves to think about accessibility, representation, and inclusion in new ways. As an employer and community organization, we value the opportunity to grow alongside other organizations that are committed to making the Portland community more welcoming and equitable for everyone.
