Celebrating Our Members: A Growing Commitment

Four years later—after 14 years in the Department of Chinese and Korean Art at LACMA—June left her position to enjoy more free time and focus on research. But when The Huntington asked June if she would be interested in helping to create the Chinese Garden, which was still in the early stages of development, she agreed. She was intrigued by the opportunity and decided to take it on. 

In 2004, she became the founding curator of the Chinese Garden, a position she held until 2014. She immediately began researching historic practices around the creation of Chinese gardens to ensure meticulous authenticity. The traditions of gardens in China are deeply entwined with art, literature, music, and history. 

“What June brought to the table was a major modification of the design and programming to make it a more culturally cohesive creation rather than a pastiche of a Chinese garden,” Simon notes. 

“I distinctly remember working on the naming idea,” June says. “In the novel The Dream of the Red Chamber, I found a chapter on naming gardens. A new Chinese garden is not complete without a poetic name.” She invited The Huntington’s senior staff to get involved—and deeply invested in the details—by having them read the chapter to absorb the idea. 

The first phase of the Chinese Garden—Liu Fang Yuan 流芳園, the Garden of Flowing Fragrance—opened in 2008. 

“At The Huntington, June was given an opportunity by an institution that was ready to listen to her and respect what she knew,” says Simon, who playfully calls himself “Mr. June Li.” 

A retired newspaperman, Simon worked at the Los Angeles Times for 23 years, including serving as foreign editor and then assistant managing editor. Like June, he found himself increasingly involved at The Huntington. He joined the Board of Governors in 2010 and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2019. He is currently on The Huntington’s audit, marketing, research and publications, and buildings and grounds committees.