Every morning, hundreds of Chinese residents make their way to the Queens Botanical Garden to exercise. But for them, the pleasures of the garden are not totally within reach; they can’t identify the beauty around them because the signs are only in English, Spanish, and Korean – most of the people who work in the garden are Korean. This situation troubles Chinese-speaking visitors.

Ping Liu, a Flushing resident who goes to the garden every morning, likes its quiet and homey environment of the garden. However, she is unhappy that she can’t understand the signs. "I see them, but I don’t know what they are telling me," she said.

Eighty percent of those who exercise at the botanical garden are Chinese and most read only in Chinese. According to Chou, who also works out there, Chinese residents frequently

donate small amounts of money to the garden. “It may not be a big amount, but it is still a contribution from us,” said Chou.

Wang, who practices Tai-Chi in the garden, sees the language barrier as their biggest obstacle in America. But with a small change in the signage, “the environment would be more familiar for us,” he said.

The increasing number of Chinese using the garden has drawn some attention. Jennifer Souder, director of planning at Queens Botanical Garden, said they set up forums for Chinese residents last year. “They all wanted to know about the garden's various resources and news,” she said. “We already have Chinese-language brochures printed. We are planning to change the signs to include Chinese, English, Spanish, Korean, and Hindi. But, due to budget constraints, this will take a few years to complete.”

According to Souder, the signs must be able to withstand wind and rain; sometimes they can cost up to $900. They are planning fundraising events to support the project. However, with the economic recession, it is hard to tell when the Chinese signs will appear in the garden.