On a small island just off the shore of a little lake in northern Topeka stands a beautiful Chinese pagoda. It seems simultaneously out of place and at home. To those who know Steve and Janney Duncan, it is a symbol of love. An unlikely love that brought two people from different continents to a single place they call home.
This love story begins back in 1996 in Taian, China. Janney had gotten her engineering degree and was working for a Chinese company when she met Steve Duncan on a business trip. “We were having breakfast at the hotel when he said, ‘Hi,’ and we exchanged business cards,” Janney remembers. About a year went by before the pair would meet again. Steve was back in China on another business trip and needed help shopping. He called Janney, one of the few people he knew who spoke English, and left a message. She helped him shop and their friendship began. “Steve is a very outgoing, friendly person,” Janney shared. “He was easy to get to know. My English wasn’t very good back then. But talking with Steve was a great way to improve it.”
At this point, both were married to other people and their relationship continued platonically through email for several more years. “We learned a lot about each other and helped each other with business-related things,” Janney recalls. One of her business trips brought her to the U.S. and they were able to visit each other in person again. “Steve is a people-person. He was always so nice,” Janney explained. “I knew I could trust him.”
While their friendship grew stronger, other relationships did not enjoy the same good fortune. Steve’s marriage ended. “He assured me it had nothing to do with our friendship, but my own marriage had been slowly disintegrating as well,” she said. They found themselves simultaneously single. Janney did not think Steve was interested in her romantically until at one point she went on a date with someone else after her divorce. “I could tell it hurt Steve’s feelings. That’s when I thought, ‘Hmmm…maybe there’s something here after all this time,’” she laughed.
Chinese mythology teaches about yin and yang. In the perfectly balanced symbol, yin is said to be dark and feminine, while yang is light and masculine. One flows into the other… just like the light into darkness. They balance each other perfectly. So was the case with Steve and Janney. The principle of yin and yang shows that opposing forces are invaluable because each needs the other to coexist. It is commonly believed that the unconscious mind leads individuals to a specific type of partner who is theorized to fulfill the missing pieces within them.
And when Steve & Janney finally started dating, the pieces quickly fell into place. In true yin and yang fashion, they found the harmony and balance that had been missing in their previous relationships. “Steve is detail oriented. I am more of a big picture person,” Janney shared. “He is a dreamer. I am a planner. He is the sail. I am the rudder.” As they delved deeper into their differences, and discovered how well their personalities complement each other, their feelings grew stronger and the relationship got more serious. In June of 2001, Janney and her young son moved to the U.S. and the couple tied the knot that August. Fast forward to today, more than 20 years later, and it’s obvious that the relationship has stood the test of time.
The pagoda itself is yet another testament to their unpredictably perfect partnership. After they moved to Topeka in 2010, they decided to clean up the area behind their warehouse at SD Engineering. The lake and surrounding land had been neglected and the property was overgrown. But Steve had a vision. A long-time fan of Chinese architecture, he decided he would design and build a beautiful pagoda in honor of his wife’s heritage and place it on an island in the lake.
While researching designs, they fell in love with a pagoda they found online that was pre-made and could be shipped from China and reconstructed here. It was perfect! Steve had lots of connections, so he didn’t anticipate any problems with the shipping. Unfortunately, he discovered that because the pagoda was made of wood, it fell under different shipping regulations. Just when they thought their prized pagoda was a no go, Janney remembered she had a friend who imported furniture. They worked out the legal details and shared a shipping container to get the pieces to the U.S.
A true labor of love, the pagoda took six months to construct with the help of employees Austin Blush and Adam Beason. Made of Chinese cedar, the hexagonal structure stands 20’ tall with a 15’ base featuring a built-in bench and railing. Two hand-carved marble elephants, which represent good luck in China, flank the entrance to the 42’ long bridge leading to the pagoda. The bridge was designed with a matching wood pattern featuring 888, the Chinese symbol of wealth, which echoes the design in the top section of the pagoda. The finishing touch is a wooden sign reading “Janney’s Island”.
The pagoda truly is a fitting symbol of their love and commitment, not just because it represents Janney’s homeland, but because the architectural concept of a pagoda is to showcase proportionality and symmetry. It is another physical embodiment of balance and stability…yin and yang. “We never dreamed we would end up where we are,” Janney admits. “But it’s been an amazing journey.”
Another love Janney brought with her from China is her love of dance. When Steve built his man cave/warehouse on the SD Engineering property to house his antique car collection, he was sure to include a loft dance studio where Janney practices traditional Chinese folk dances.