Chicago (WGN) – The Morton Arboretum buzzed this weekend.
“I love it because over the years I realized that it’s becoming more and more important to maintain cultural awareness, especially nowadays, there are more Yo-yos coming out, and the yo-yos in China are very traditional,” said Ryan Shi, director of the Chinese Yo-yo School.
Chinese yo-yo performers are just one of many events throughout the festival.
“We have been doing this for about a decade. It’s a representation of Asian culture and the trees we have in the botanical garden,” said Kate Fitzgerald, special event planner at Morton Arboretum. “So it’s a great celebration and an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the culture.
“We have performances in three stages, from live martial arts to live music and dance performances, and we have a lot of authentic Asian cuisine.”
Visitors are also less related to nature – Explore and learn about the bonsai art of Japan.
“I think they attract bonsai because of their connection to trees in this beautiful botanical environment and seeing them in a miniature way and trying to recreate this connection to nature,” said Jennifer Price, a guest artist at Prairie State Bonsai Society.
For more information on the Destination Asia Festival, visit the Morton Botanical Garden’s website.
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