The Courtyard at the tea merchant

Cour du marchand de thé – Pairi Daiza
Architecture

Curious “rounded stepping stones”

The curiously rounded stepping stones that provides a footpath to pass over the water are actually old rice choppers. They have a fixed value for the site. Near the curtain of water that hides a cave from view, is a second rare variety of bamboo, Qiongzhuea tumidissimoda, which had been banned from being exported from China for many decades as the country wanted to preserve the absolute exclusivity.

The stems of 'exemplary' stiffness are ideal for manufacturing walking sticks such as the one made famous by Charlie Chaplin. In 1984 the Irishman Peter Eddington managed to break the embargo and this bamboo is a distant relative of that memorable shoot.

The waterfall plunges on peculiar tablets inscribed in Sanskrit. Still not completely deciphered, they originated from the underground from lands in Yunnan. A local farmer, who did not know any better, started to break down his stables along with its foundation. An antique dealer from Hong Kong managed to save these pieces in the nick of time.