text: This is a beautiful botanical garden.  When we were here w/ friends several years ago there was a tram that took us around so we saw a lot more of it than we did yesterday because there was no tram.  Last time we walked through the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden plus saw beautiful and interesting plants and trees from the tram.  Yesterday we walked to and through the Chinese Garden, admiring the roses in bloom along the way.  Currently there is a special annual lantern festival that will be open until the end of the month.  This is its 19th year and it commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Chinese Garden.  The spectacle takes months to plan, w/ the plans being drawn up in Montreal and sent to Singapore, where the lanterns are fabricated.  The completed lanterns are sent back to Montreal, where they are assembled, wired and put in place.  The theme of this year's display is the reign of the first Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi and his cavalry, but there are also mythical, magical creatures like dragons amid the foliage.  Lanterns are set up throughout the Chinese Garden, in the ponds and amongst the plants.  The Botanical Garden stays open later, until 9PM, for the occasion and I would imagine the lanterns are even more impressive after dark than they were in the daylight.  There are bilingual signs explaining the significance of the display and the items in it.  The Garden itself is lovely and tranquil w/o the lanterns, w/ stone \"windows\" set in the walls looking out of the garden and walkways paved in intricate patterns of pebbles and stones.  As we left the Chinese Garden I could smell the roses, even though they weren't visible from the gateway.  There is much more to see than we saw this time but it is a beautiful garden that is worth several hours time, regardless of the season.  Just wear comfortable walking shoes, take your camera and wear sunscreen.