Qingxi Lou - Chinese Gardens

CIP

22010.1

ISBN 978-7-5085-1663-9

K928.73

CIP2009180905

CHINESE GARDENS

In Search of Landscape Paradise

Author: Lou Qingxi

Translator: Zhang Lei and Yu Hong

Polisher: Chen Bingmiao

Executive Editor: Zhang Hong

Art Director: Tian Lin

Production: Primary Colors Design CO.

Publisher: China Intercontinental Press (6 Beixiaomachang, Lianhuachi Donglu, Haidian District, Beijing 100038, China)

Tel: 86-10-58891281

Website: www.cicc.org.cn

Edition: Jan. 2010, 2nd edition

Preface

W alking into a Chinese garden, one cannot help but be enchanted by its unique oriental flavor; and walking in an atmosphere of tranquility and peace, one will discover something unlikely to be found in Western architecturedelicate and refined, complex and contained in its quietude. In contrast with natural scenery, the beauty of Chinese gardens lies in their combining culture and art into one. In northern imperial gardens, natural scenes with bridges, creeks and winding paths are interspersed with magnificent palatial architectural groups, fully exemplifying the royal dignity, the most typical of those still existing being the Summer Palace in Beijing. In contrast, private gardens south of the Yangtze River, such as the Lingering Garden, the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Master-of-Nets Garden, play upon their hills, rivers and naturally rich vegetation and achieve a charm not to be found in Northern gardens. These gardens typically belong to government officials, merchants and scholars, serving as part of their private residence, combining living quarters, reception halls and studies with a fascinating array of pavilions, corridors, terrace houses, hills, creeks and vegetation, not large in size but intent on capturing the feeling of natural scenery. The objective of re-creating hills and forests in the city is to show the poetic charm of nature, to draw people away from the maddening crowds, and to seek contentment and peace in nature. These gardens of different nature exemplify a life of stability, contentment and ease, an art of living so to speak. In a sense they reflect the ancient Chinese view of life, of the universe, and the life styles of different strata of society and their respective approaches to life, and aesthetic tastes.

Chinese gardens painted by Western painters in early years of the 19th century

In ancient China, from the emperor down to any of the rich, they without exception all took pride in the ownership of a garden in their living space. In the garden one could hold court, entertain guests, hunt, play games, read, play chess, drink tea, chant verses, recite poetry or paint, and over the years a rich garden culture was gradually formed. As more and more scholars and garden owners started participating in the making of gardens, theoretical books on garden building appeared. An outstanding example was the book Craftsmanship of Gardening by Ji Cheng (1582-?) in the Ming Dynasty, which discusses the technique of creating a garden as well as garden-related knowledge, experience with garden construction and theories on creating a garden-this book has become a key for people today for an understanding of the Chinese garden concepts. And it is because of the cooperation between scholars and artisans in both theory and technique that the art of the Chinese garden, exemplifying unique Chinese environmental aesthetics, has evolved into a specimen of the classical Chinese culture.

The art of the Chinese garden emphasizes the portrayal of a mood, so that the hills, waters, plants, and buildings as well as their spatial relationship are not just a mere materialistic environment but also evoke a spiritual atmosphere. The builder of the garden, through symbolism and allegories, the search for a poetic mood, the gathering of relics from all over, and the building of temples, streets and even taverns, strives to reach a realm that is natural yet elegant, combining the art of the garden with classical Chinese literature, painting and theatre, where in the true essence of traditional culture lies.

Stone peaks of the Ming Xuan and the half-pavilion built against the wall exhibited i n New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The classic Chinese garden, having a long standing artistic and cultural heritage, has also directly influenced the neighboring countries of Korea and Japan. The Japanese garden, having its own unique national traits, has nevertheless continuously absorbed the essence of classic Chinese gardens. On the last day of December 1699, the French court welcomed the coming of the new century with a large Chinese style festival, and a new word "chinoiserie" was coined, meaning "of Chinese style". All of a sudden, Chinese ceramics, wallpaper, embroidery, garments, furniture and architecture became all the rage in Europe, as represented by France and England. The art of the Chinese garden spread throughout Europe simultaneously, influencing mostly England and France, but other countries as well, such as Germany, Sweden and Russia, bringing about a transition from geometrical gardens to gardens with natural scenery set-ups.

The Summer Palace, already listed in World Cultural Heritage, is the largest and best preserved imperial garden in China, and also one of the most well-knowns cenic spots of Beijing.

How did the classic Chinese garden take shape and develop? How many prototypes are there in Chinese gardens, what similarities do they share and how do they differ from each other? What experience has been accumulated through the years of garden building, and what theories have been formed? Let's walk into the Chinese gardens and take a closer look.

Landscape Gardens

The garden should be a perfect blending of nature and construction by man. It should be an imitation of nature, and fully manifest the beauty of nature in limited space; it is also an improvement on nature which should show the painstaking efforts of the garden builder in every corner. The Chinese garden has blended man-made structures like rockery, fish ponds and all manner of pavilions together with flowers, trees, breezes and moonlight of nature, and have combined all these into an artistic entity in which man and nature can co-exist harmoniously.

The presently preserved northern imperial gardens were primarily built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911), and were places where the feudal royalty could live, enjoy walks in, throw banquets, entertain and hunt. They took up large areas of space and were equipped and decorated very lavishly. The building of these gardens required large amounts of human labor and heavy investments. The gardens of South China are concentrated mostly in cities and towns on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, which is where scholars loved to gather since ancient times. This is also where writers and calligraphers would live in leisure so they could be close to nature, or where officials and rich merchants would show off their wealth and gamble on horses and dogs. Northern gardens are characterized by grandeur of scope, where as Southern gardens emphasize a more delicate beauty. Famous gardens are scattered all over the Chinese landscape like so many pearls, and give silent testimony to the history and culture of China.