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Travel Destinations > Gardens
China Gardens Overview
Chinese gardens enjoy a rich heritage and they are very famous in the world history of gardens. China's diverse city gardens have earned a place in the world's three systems of gardens.
Chinese garden architecture includes both grand imperial gardens and delicate private ones. They are all fine combinations of natural beauty and manmade scenery. The running water, hills and stones create an artistic ambience with exquisite layouts of flowers, trees, gardens, bridges, and inscribed boards and scrolls hung on hall pillars.Chinese gardens can be classified into three types. One is the reflection of practical theories, moral and political emphasis and the sense of social responsibility that are all highly valued by Confucianism. Another class is the supernatural reflection of the natural and peaceful cultivation advocated by Taoism. Another type of garden is the natural reflection of the owner's emotions aroused by the gardens. The well-known imperial garden, Yuanmingyuan or the old SummerPalace, the ancient Constant Taoist Temple of Sichuan's QingchengMountain and gardens owned by some literati are respective examples of these three types of Chinese gardens.
Unlike Chinese gardens, their western counterparts have a strong emphasis on geometric principles and construction. Chinese gardens incorporate the belief that man is an integral part of nature and therefore give a lot of attention to the natural scenery and the feelings of visitors.
The Chinese garden may be regarded as a miniature of the Chinese landscape. The main principle of Chinese garden art is to recreate nature, to present its essence without an artificial effect. The design of the Chinese garden is a process of abstraction and stylization of the existing landscape. The final aim of creating a natural form in Chinese garden is to celebrate the human spirit.
A Chinese garden is divided into different scenic sections but the garden as whole must be unified under a central theme.The five elements of classical Chinese garden are Rock, Water, Plants and buildings.
Rock - In Chinese gardens, a stone was valued for its bumps, furrows and hollows, and for the color and texture of its surface. The rock was much more appreciated for its grotesque shape than for its resemblance to a particular mountain.
Water - Water is used in the Chinese private garden, not only because of its physical beauty but also for its important symbols. Water is one of Taoist’s favorite symbols. Lao Tzi had decreed that “the highest virtue is like water,” which may yield, but it can overcome any obstacles.
Plants - The willow represents grace, for its tender and slender branches. It is usually planted lakeside to “dance” rhythmically as the young girls along the wind from the surface of the lake. The bamboo tree, with its tall and slender stalks and its long and narrow leaves, symbolizes fidelity, humility, wisdom, and gentleness.
Building Elements - The building elements, such as, moon gates, windows, and passways are essential parts of ChineseGardens. The entire private Chinese garden was usually divided into several scenic sections using the building elements. Chinese garden scenes were concealed inside these different scenic sections and could only be disclosed, not at one, glance but gradually in sequences. Every scenic section in a Chinese should have its own landscape character, but the garden as a whole must be unified under a central theme.
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