Forbidden Gardens Chinese Cultural Museum in Katy roars like the marble lion statues that guard the front gate. In the visitor’s imagination, the marching feet of 6,000 terra-cotta soldiers and the music of the miniature grand parade of the imperial court are almost audible on the breeze blowing across the Texas Coastal Plains about 25 miles west of downtown Houston.
Visiting the Forbidden Gardens is like riding a time machine back thousands of years and thousands of miles. Few of the visitors – and they come from around the world to see the display – will get a chance to see the actual Chinese sites. The magnificence of the original is not lost in miniaturization.
Opened in 1997, the Forbidden Gardens is the hobby of Ira P.H. Poon. A reclusive Hong Kong billionaire, Poon made his fortune in real estate and now lives in Seattle. The mission of the attraction is to give Americans a greater appreciation of Chinese culture and history. No one is entirely sure why he chose the outskirts of Houston for his $20 million attraction other than the city has the third-largest Chinese community in the U.S., and land was relatively cheap.
An hourlong tour begins at the rows of terra-cotta soldiers lined up in perfect formation. The afternoon light bathes the army in a golden armor. Even at one-third the size of the 5- to 6-foot-tall originals, the 6,000 soldiers fill a shallow pit as big as a football field. At the far end of the pit, a statue of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di watches over his troops with his burial mound behind him.
The terra-cotta army is a replica of a site unearthed in 1974 by farmers digging a well near Xi’an, China. In the third century, Qin (pronounced “chin”) conquered the other six states of China to become the first ruler of a united China. His government developed a unified language, currency, and legal system that evolved into modern China. The soldiers, their hands frozen in grips of weapons that have rotted away, were to protect the emperor in the afterlife.
Next the tour travels back 11 centuries to the Forbidden City of Beijing, the home of 24 successive Chinese emperors. From Tiananmen Gate at the south end of the city to the Hall of Imperial Peace at the north end, the 999 buildings cover 40,000 square feet at one-twentieth the size of the original. All of the buildings (and the terra-cotta soldiers) were created by Chinese workmen, using indigenous materials, and shipped to Texas. Covered by a protective roof, the dollhouse-size city gives a giant’s view of the harmonious sense of architecture and open space that the planners had for the largest palatial compound in the world.
Also on the tour are exhibits on Chinese weapons and architecture. There was really no explanation by the guide why one room of the garden compound is dedicated to a model of Suzhou, China. Often called “the Venice of China,” the diorama of the city famous for its silk has been praised for its accuracy. The miniature city is cute but not very enlightening.
All in all, a visit to the gardens is very interesting, and the terra-cotta army is as impressive as you might imagine. Several reviews have criticized the management for the ragged condition of some of the displays and the unprofessional staff, all of which seemed to be true. If you look at the gardens as an unusual art project by a Chinese businessman, it is quite an amazing accomplishment. Maybe the project isn’t as grand as the originals, but it does bring a little of the splendor of the ancient emperors’ ghosts to the Texas Plains.
The Forbidden Gardens Chinese Cultural Museum is at 23500 Franz Rd., about a mile north of I-10 at the Grand Parkway exit. The Forbidden Gardens are open Friday through Sunday from 10am to 3:30pm, with tours at 11am, noon, 1, 2, and 3pm. Most of the exhibits are outdoors, so tours can be canceled because of inclement weather. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. For more information, call 281/347-8000 or go to www.forbidden-gardens.com.
863rd in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips” 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in January 18 • 2008.
