The Peace and Friendship Garden

The University of Maryland has a growing bond with China through liaison work and programs such as the Confucius Institute. Veteran Chinese artist Han Meilin, among other famous Chinese artists, designed sculptures to contribute to these international bonds. Meilin's cast bronze sculpture, the Peace Tree, is approximately 5 meters tall and represents "Diversity in Unity". To commemorate this gift from the Chinese Government, the University of Maryland has built the Peace and Friendship Garden on the vista of University House. The Peace Garden design process took inspiration from Chinese style gardens through the use of asymmetry, art, stone, water, colors/ textures, and various plant materials. This garden is unique from all other spaces on the College Park campus because of these design fundamentals. The Peace and Friendship garden takes the visitor on a journey of the senses while emphasizing the key concept of Han Meilin's Peace Tree: Diversity in Unity.