On the edge of the Royal Domain in Laeken, across from the Japanese Tower, another of the architectural curiosities of Brussels is hidden in a veil of greenery: the Chinese pavilion.

It was opened in 1910, six months after the death of Leopold II, who had wanted to make it a de luxe restaurant. It became one of the exhibition centres of the Royal Museums of Art and History.

The picturesque Asian-style pavilion adjoins floral and wooded beds composed of, among others, numerous species originating in China, Japan and other regions of Asia and the Middle East.

The garden also harbours some fine examples of the art of topiary, which consists of architecturally trimming bushes, shrubs or trees according to specific techniques. A small playground with a sandbox is hidden amongst the flowering shrubs. The garden has several plants that appear on the list of remarkable trees of the Brussels-Capital Region, magnificent beds of rhododendrons, some very old (some are between 70 and 80 years old), and a Chinese honeysuckle.

For some years, this hundred-year-old garden of the Chinese Pavilion has been progressively restored by Brussels Environment.