Chinese garden

A Chinese garden is a special kind of landscape garden that has developed over thousands of years. It includes huge gardens made for Chinese emperors and their families, as well as smaller, quieter gardens created by scholars, poets, and other important people. These gardens are designed to show a tiny, perfect world that represents harmony between people and nature.

Chinese gardens mix many different arts together. They include architecture, calligraphy, painting, sculpture, literature, and more. Some famous Chinese gardens, like the Chengde Mountain Resort, the Summer Palace, and the Classical Gardens of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, are so important that they are listed as part of the world's best places by UNESCO.

A usual Chinese garden is enclosed by walls and has ponds, rocks, trees, flowers, and buildings such as halls and pavilions. Visitors walk along winding paths and see many beautiful scenes, like looking at a scroll of landscape paintings.

History

Beginnings

The earliest Chinese gardens were created in the valley of the Yellow River during the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC). These were large enclosed parks where kings and nobles hunted or grew fruit and vegetables. Early carvings from this time show three words for garden: you, pu, and yuan. You was a royal garden for birds and animals, while pu was a garden for plants. During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), yuan became the word for all gardens.

A famous royal garden from the late Shang dynasty was the Terrace, Pond and Park of the Spirit built by King Wenwang. It was described as a place where the king could walk among deer and cranes. Another early garden was Shaqui, or the Dunes of Sand, built by the last Shang ruler, King Zhou. It had a large pool filled with wine and a small island with trees bearing roasted meat.

The Legend of the Isle of the Immortals

An ancient Chinese story helped shape early garden design. The tale told of a peak called Mount Penglai on an island in the Bohai Sea, home to the Eight Immortals. This island had golden palaces, jewel-filled trees, and fruits that granted eternal life.

In 221 BC, Ying Zheng, the King of Qin created a garden with a large lake called Lanchi gong or the Lake of the Orchids. On an island in the lake, he made a copy of Mount Penglai. This idea of a garden with a pond and three mountains became a popular design for royal gardens.

Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD)

During the Han dynasty, a new imperial capital was built at Chang'an, and Emperor Wu built a new imperial garden. He created a large artificial lake with three islands representing the islands of the Immortals. This design became a model for royal gardens.

Another famous garden was the Garden of General Liang Ji, built by Liang Ji. It had artificial mountains, ravines, and forests, filled with rare birds and animals. It was one of the first gardens to try to copy nature in a special way.

Gardens for poets and scholars (221–618 AD)

After the Han dynasty, many former government officials built gardens to escape the busy world. One example was the Jingu Yuan, or Garden of the Golden Valley, built by Shi Chong near Luoyang. He invited poets to visit and wrote about their gatherings.

The poet Wang Xizhi wrote about a famous event at the Orchid Pavilion, where poets floated cups of wine in a stream and wrote poems when the cups stopped beside them. This idea of a garden with winding streams became popular.

Tang dynasty (618–907), First Golden Age of the Classical Garden

The Tang dynasty was a golden age for Chinese gardens. Emperor Xuanzong built a grand imperial garden near Xi′an. Gardens in the capital, Chang'an, were inspired by legends and poems. These gardens had artificial mountains and ponds, and even small gardens in homes.

A famous garden was the Jante Valley Garden of the poet-painter Wang Wei. He created twenty small scenes in his garden and wrote poems for each one. Plant growing became very advanced during this time, with many new plants being added to gardens.

Song Dynasty (960–1279)

The Song dynasty was known for its famous gardens. Emperor Huizong built grand imperial gardens with exotic plants and large artificial mountains. After his garden was destroyed, he returned to find only the mountain remained.

In cities like Luoyang and Suzhou, many beautiful gardens were built. The oldest Suzhou garden still standing is the Blue Wave Pavilion, built in 1044. Another famous garden is the Master of the Nets Garden, created in 1141.

Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)

In 1271, Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty in China. His most famous garden was at Xanadu, described by traveler Marco Polo as a place with rivers, meadows, and wild animals for hunting.

Despite the changes, classical Chinese gardens continued to be built in other parts of China. An example is the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, built in 1342 with rocks that looked like lions.

Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

The most famous garden from the Ming dynasty is the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou. It was built by Wang Xianchen and has a large pond with lotus blossoms, surrounded by pavilions and buildings.

Other famous Ming dynasty gardens in Suzhou include the Lingering Garden and the Garden of Cultivation. These gardens often had dramatic rocks and special views.

Qing dynasty (1644–1912)

The Qing dynasty was the last dynasty of China. Famous gardens included the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace in Beijing. These gardens were described by visitors as places of great beauty.

The Qing emperors also built a large garden complex at the Chengde Mountain Resort, which still exists today. Other famous gardens from this time include the Couple's Retreat Garden and the Retreat & Reflection Garden in Suzhou.

Design of the classical garden

A Chinese garden was designed so you could not see everything at once. Instead, visitors would see beautifully arranged views one after another—like looking at a pond, a rock, or a bamboo grove. The garden creator Ji Cheng advised hiding ordinary things and showing only the most beautiful parts.

Some people from far away thought the gardens looked messy with many buildings close together. But a priest named Jean Denis Attiret, who lived in China, said the gardens had a special "beautiful disorder." He explained that everything was arranged just right, so you had to see the garden bit by bit to enjoy it fully. This made the garden feel natural and full of surprises.

Chinese gardens came in different sizes. The biggest garden in Suzhou covered more than ten hectares, with a large pond taking up a fifth of the space. But gardens could also be very small. Ji Cheng made a garden for a treasurer that was less than one hectare, yet it felt like it had all the wonders of the whole area.

Gardens were usually surrounded by white walls. In the center was often a pond, with many buildings and structures around it. In scholar gardens, the main building might be a library or study, connected by walkways to other small buildings. These structures helped divide the garden into different scenes. Plants, trees, and rocks were carefully placed to create tiny perfect landscapes. Sometimes gardens would include views from outside, like distant mountains, to make the garden feel even bigger.

Architecture

Chinese gardens are full of buildings like halls, pavilions, temples, and bridges. The Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou has forty-eight structures, including a home, halls for gatherings, and many pavilions for enjoying the garden. These buildings are meant to fit naturally with the garden, not overpower it.

Traditional gardens usually have these special buildings:

• The ceremony hall, used for family celebrations, usually near the entrance.
• The main pavilion for guests and banquets, often with a shaded veranda.
• The flower pavilion, close to the home, filled with flowers and plants.
• The pavilion facing four directions, with movable walls to show the whole garden.
• The lotus pavilion, built next to a pond to enjoy the lotus flowers.
• The pavilion of mandarin ducks, split into two parts for different seasons.

Smaller pavilions are placed throughout the garden for shade, resting, or enjoying the view. Some pavilions are named for the special experiences they offer, like watching the moon or listening to rain.

Gardens also have tall towers for viewing the garden from above, and sometimes boat-shaped pavilions in ponds. There are also small houses for quiet thinking, and narrow walkways connecting the buildings. Windows and doors in the garden are often round or shaped like flowers, framing beautiful garden scenes. Bridges across the ponds are usually winding, adding to the garden's natural feel.

Artificial mountains and rock gardens

The artificial mountain or rock garden is a key part of Chinese gardens. Mountains stood for good qualities like stability. The first rock garden was built a long time ago, and over time, rocks became valued for their shape, color, and texture.

During different dynasties, gardens used earth, rocks, or both to create these mountain shapes. Today, smaller gardens might use a single special rock to represent a mountain.

Water

A pond or lake is the heart of a Chinese garden. Buildings are often placed beside it, and pavilions around it let visitors enjoy the water from many angles. Gardens usually have a pond for lotus flowers, with special pavilions to watch them. Goldfish are often in the pond, and pavilions over the water give great views.

The water in the garden has deep meaning. It represents lightness and communication, and complements the mountains. The pond's shape can hide edges, making it feel endless. The soft water contrasts with the solid rocks and changes with the sky's reflections.

Flowers and trees

Flowers and trees are another important part of the garden. They change with the seasons and bring sound and smell to the garden. Each plant has its own meaning. Pines, bamboo, and plum trees are loved for staying green or blooming in winter. Peaches symbolize long life, and pears stand for wisdom.

Popular flowers include orchids, peonies, and lotuses. Peonies are admired for their beauty, lotuses for their purity, and orchids for their nobility. Gardens try to keep the natural look, letting trees and flowers grow freely.

"Borrowing scenery", time and seasons

"Borrowing scenery" means using views outside the garden to make it feel bigger. This can include distant mountains, sounds from temples, or the smell of flowers. The time of day and the season also matter. Garden designers thought about how the garden would look in different lights and weather.

Concealment and surprise

Gardens are designed to hide and surprise visitors. You move from one scene to another, often along winding paths or through covered walkways. Sudden views appear around corners, through special windows, or behind screens of plants. This makes exploring the garden an adventure full of delightful discoveries.

In art and literature

The garden has played a big role in Chinese art and literature, and in return, art and literature have inspired many gardens. A school of painting called "Shanshui", meaning 'mountains and water', started in the 5th century. This style of painting shared similar ideas with Chinese gardening. These paintings were not exact copies of real places; they showed what the artist felt deep inside.

Garden designers used special rocks and tiny mountains in their gardens to create feelings of wonder and excitement, just like in these paintings. In books about garden design, writers talked about studying real mountains and forests to create beautiful, artificial scenes that felt real and full of spirit.

Gardens were also very popular subjects in poems, especially during the Tang dynasty (618–907). Some garden names come from famous poems. Inside gardens, special spots often had poems carved on stones or plaques. For example, at the Moon Comes with the Breeze Pavilion in the Couple's Retreat Garden, a poem reads: "The twilight brings the Autumn And the wind brings the moon here." Another spot, the Peony Hall in the same garden, features a poem that says: "The spring breeze is gently stroking the balustrade and the peony is wet with dew."

One famous poet and monk, Wang Wei, built one of the first scholar's gardens called the Valley of the Jante. His garden had twenty different scenes, each with a poem to match. Though this garden no longer exists, its memory lives on in paintings and poems that inspired other gardens. Gardens were so important in Chinese culture that they are a key setting in the classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber.

Philosophy

Chinese gardens have many purposes. People used them for parties, quiet time alone, or to enjoy art like painting and music. They were also a place to show off beautiful things and share good food and drinks.

These gardens were inspired by Taoism. After the Han dynasty, some garden makers used them as peaceful places away from busy life. They believed that by looking at nature, people could feel calm and find peace.

The gardens were made to feel like walking through a natural land. They showed how people and nature fit together. For example, rocks and water are different but complete each other, just like in nature.

The paths and bridges in these gardens were designed to feel like secret journeys. They followed an old saying: “By detours, access to secrets”.

One expert said that each garden was like a search for a perfect world, a place of peace and beauty. Another modern thinker said that Chinese gardens mix nature and human creativity in a special way.

Influence

Chinese influence on the Japanese garden

The Chinese garden had a big effect on early Japanese gardens. China’s ideas reached Japan through Korea before 600 AD. In 607 AD, a Japanese prince sent a group to study in China, and they brought back many ideas about garden design. During later periods like the Nara and Heian times, Japanese leaders made big gardens with lakes and small gardens for quiet thinking.

A Japanese monk brought a special kind of garden called the Zen garden from China, which uses simple designs to help with meditation. This style became very famous in Japan.

In Europe

The first European to write about Chinese gardens was Marco Polo, who visited the gardens of a Chinese emperor. Later, Jesuit priests shared more details about Chinese gardens with Europe. In the 1700s, many people in Europe became very interested in Chinese styles. Artists began painting Chinese-themed scenes, and rich people added Chinese-style rooms and gardens to their homes.

An artist named Jean Denis Attiret described the beautiful, winding paths and natural-looking water areas in Chinese gardens. In England, writers like Sir William Temple talked about how Chinese gardens used natural, irregular designs instead of strict symmetry. This idea influenced the English landscape garden style. The first Chinese-themed house in England was built in 1738, and soon other countries like France and Russia also added Chinese-style features to their gardens.