Lake Tai Rock - Portland, OR, USA - Gifts from Other Countries on Waymarking.com

The Lake Tai Rock is a 16-foot, 17-ton limestone formation, shaped naturally by the waters of Tai Lake. A gift from Portland’s sister city of Suzhou, China, the rock is inscribed with Chinese characters that read “rare stone calls forth the spirit.”

From the plaque:

Lake Tai Rock

A Gift from Suzhou, Portland's Chinese Sister City

The Chinese believe that large, uniquely shaped rocks represent the potent power and wildness of nature, a tradition refined over 2,000 years. Objects like this 16-foot, 17-ton limestone, which have been naturally shaped by the water of the Lake Tai, are prominently displayed in Chinese gardens to evoke the grandeur of nature.

The distinct shape of the Lake Tai rock is an important quality to the Chinese. A prized rock must appear lean and bony with numerous holes and indentations. These special rocks are normally narrower at their base and wider at the top, seeming to rise from the earth, despite their weight.

This rock was personally selected by the mayor of Suzhou in honor of the strong sister city relationship between Portland and Suzhou. The four-character Chinese inscription on the rock reads "rare stone calls forth the spirit," an example of the symbolic and regional significance of rockery to the Chinese. At the base of the rock are reproductions of the 1996 agreement in Chinese and English, signed by Mayor Zhang Xin Sheng of Suzhou and Mayor Vera Katz of Portland, proclaiming the Suzhou gift to Portland. The Lake Tai rock stands in Terry Schrunk Plaza as a symbol of the long lasting relationship between the people of Portland and Suzhou.

Country or International City that Gave the Gift: Suzhou, China Country or International City that Received the Gift: Portland, Oregon Website Verifying this Item as a Gift from Another Country or International City: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/29/2022 Vixen42 visited it 08/21/2022 H3NM4R visited it 08/09/2022 prussel visited it 07/16/2022 stinger503 visited it 10/04/2019 riccar79 visited it 07/27/2019 VanZusje visited it 12/03/2018 BWJM visited it 08/23/2017 Lavskrike visited it 01/16/2017 JMKR visited it 08/09/2015 Nebola visited it 08/15/2014 yellowdogs visited it 08/12/2014 schlbsch visited it 03/18/2014 White Spirit Bears visited it 05/24/2013 sbcamper visited it 09/02/2012 rabbot visited it 07/04/2012 Poehunters visited it 07/04/2012 philbeer visited it 08/06/2011 Queens Blessing visited it 10/01/2010 howarthe visited it 03/13/2010 TikTokOfOz visited it 12/19/2009 ThePetersTrio visited it 06/20/2009 Derbydancer&theOldHippie visited it

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