CHINESE GARDENS

UNIT III
INTERIOR LANDSCAPE
 Introduction
 Classical Chinese garden, are a special aspect in traditional Chinese culture and art.
 A garden is purported to meet man's demand for relaxation and lodging.
 A Chinese garden mixes man-made landscape with natural scenery, architecture,
painting, literature, calligraphy, and horticulture.
 The classical Chinese garden originated in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, when
monarchs began to build parks for their own leisure and pleasure.
 by the Qin and Han dynasties the Chinese had already learned how to imitate nature
in their gardens, and private gardens had appeared.
 During the Wei, Jin, and South and North dynasties, private gardens came in vogue
as the rich and powerful sought to express their sentiment in landscaping.
 TYPES
 the Chinese gardens fall into four categories, that is, imperial
gardens, private garden, monastic gardens, and gardens in
scenic resorts. Famous monastic gardens including the Jinci
Temple of Shanxi and the Tanzhe Temple of Beijing; whereas the
West Lake of Hangzhou and the Darning Lake Jinan belong to
scenic gardens.
 Chinese gardens can be classified into regular gardens,
naturalistic gardens and mixed gardens. Generally speaking,
most of the gardens in the West are regular gardens. Most Chinese
gardens, be they large imperial gardens or small private ones, are
naturalistic gardens.
 Philosophy
 The Chinese conceived that man emerged from the bowels of earth like any
mountain or plant and therefore was one of them in it.
 The chinese thought was more on mystic taoism. Two means the way and
must live, work and die with the laws of nature given by heaven
 It emphasized the individual rather than community and instinct
 In any scene , the viewpoint is always at the ground level, as though the
observer himself were some disembodied part of a scene already ethearal
through atmosphere.

 Modeled on nature
 Miniature landscape of large areas
 Symbolic elements
 Meditation
 Symbolic features
 ELEMENTS
 Chinese gardens consist of three natural
elements, rock, water and plants.
 The rock in the garden represents the skeleton
of universe,
 the water- the blood of the universe and
 the plant-the hair of the universe.
 Thus by making use of these elements it
animates life in the garden.
 ELEMENTS

 Rocks: also termed as Chinese

scholar rocks are used for structural
and sculptural purposes.
 These large and porous garden
rocks symbolize the dwelling of
Taoist immortals.
 The sculptural Taihu rock, which
represents wisdom and immorality,
is one such example.
ELEMENTS

 Water: It is the central component of the Chinese gardens.

 Chinese gardeners while making the traditional gardens always check if the
site has natural water source.
 However in the absence of one such thing artificial water source are made
and hidden behind man-made mountain to enhance a natural picture.
 Water serves as a balance for the other elements in the garden.
 Beside the visual pleasure, it is also used for providing listening satisfaction
in the garden.
 It is also used to reflect the sky, architecture or any other special features
near the water for an aesthetic look.
 It is also believed that Taoists sat down by the lakeside pavilions to watch
the water reflection to cleanse their soul.
 ELEMENTS

 Plants: are used as symbols.

 For instances, bamboo for strong but resilient character,
pine for longevity and dignity, lotus for purity, flowering
plum for renewal and strength, peonies for wealth.
 Banana trees are also used largely in these gardens but
they do not have any symbolism. They are used for the
sound that they make in the breeze.

These plants are most favored for their association of

overcoming the limitations of ordinary life.
 ELEMENTS

 A common feature of Chinese garden architecture is the

waterside pavilion - a derivation of an ancient wooden
house supported on stilts.
 It later became the fashion to build waterside pavilions
upon the lake or pond of a garden so that half the
structure was built on land, while the other half was
raised on stilts above a body of water.
 So as to allow viewing of the garden from all sides of the
building, decorative windows were placed along the
periphery of the wall. Such a waterside pavilion can be
seen in the Humble Administrator's Garden .
 ELEMENTS
 Another key element of Chinese gardens is their covered
corridors, built to allow the owners to enjoy the garden in
the rain and snow.
 These covered walkways fall into two categories, those
which connect buildings and those which are built by the
shore of a small pond or lake.
 As with waterside pavilions, corridors often have
windows or "scenic openings", which act as picture
frames directing the eye to particular views of the
garden.
 Such scenic openings were designed simply as circles,
squares or ovals or in more imaginative shapes like those
of a lotus petal, garland or bay leaf.
 ELEMENTS
 Often the most exquisite elements of a Chinese garden
can be found in its details.
 Such is the case with the footpaths, imaginatively
patterned with coloured pebbles into a variety of designs
along the ground.
 A common motif is that of the square within a circle,
signifying the ancient belief that the "heaven is round
and the earth square".
 Good luck omens may also often be found. Whilst the bat
and crane symbolize good fortune and longevity, the
fishing net portends affluence. There are, in addition,
often depictions of scenes from well-known traditional
paintings and legends.
 Garden of the Master of the Nets,
Suzhou
 It is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet it
is the most impressive because of its use of space which
creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than
its actual size.
 Even more than the architectural achievement is the
mood of tranquility and harmony that this humble garden
embodies
 This exquisite garden was first designed during the Song
Dynasty (960 - 1279) as part of a residence that was
used until the Taiping Rebellion in the 1860's.
 It was later restored and became the residence of a
government official from whom the garden gets its name.
PLAN Buildings within the garden
1. Main Gate
2. Sedan Chair Hall
3. Great Hall
4. Tower of Gathered Excellence
5. Five Summits Reading Hut
6. Chapel of Accumulated Emptiness
7. Clustered Cassia Hill Viewing Porch
8. Shooting at Ducks Walkway
9. A Branch Beyond Bamboo Viewing Porch
10. Viewing Porch for Looking at
Pines and Studying Paintings
1. Gallery of Royal Spring
2. Cool Springs Pavilion
3. Pavilion Where the Moon Meets the Wind
4. Belvedere of Magnificent and Bright Waters
5. Barrier of Clouds Terrace
6. Pursuing Tranquility Lodging
7. Zither Chamber
The window on the upper right inspired the name of the garden.
Its lattice design is based on the interlaced pattern of a fish net.

Bird's eye view of the Garden

of the Master of Nets, Suzhou

Moon Gate, looking out through A

Branch Beyond Bamboo viewing porch
 Concept
 The garden is divided into three sections:
 a residential section,
 the central main garden
 an inner garden.
 The main garden has a large pond that is surrounded by pathways and a
variety of buildings such as the Ribbon Washing Pavillion, and the Pavillion
for the advent of the Moon and Wind.
 There are many more buildings that are situated so that there is never a
sense of crowding, but always of spaciousness.
 As you walk about the gardens and along the walkways, there are often
views through windows onto beautiful flowers or plants framing them from
a distance and drawing you to a single sight, a moment of peaceful natural
beauty. 
 As is common in Suzhou gardens, the pond has a small pavilion in it.
 Here the pavilion is accessible by a bridge that is less than one foot wide.
 Elements
 The main garden has a large central pond (440 square meters) surrounded by a
number of verandahs and walkways. 
 In the pond is a small hexagonal pavilion of the type commonly found in other
Suzhou gardens. 
 Also in the pond is a smalls stone bridge called Yinjing Bridge (Leading to Serenity
Bridge).  Its width is less than one foot.
 This ancient and well-preserved private garden is divided into residences in the east
and a garden in the west.
 The two parts are harmoniously united to express an integral whole.
 The wooden buildings, doors, windows, and partition boards were all crafted with
great care and artistic flourishes.
 Every hall has lattices with semi-transparent panes, with artificial hills outside.
 The pond at the center, surrounded by flowers, trees, artificial hills, rocks and
buildings presents the main vista in the garden.
 The late Spring Cottage in the northwest of the garden, a masterpiece in garden
design, is known for its exquisite, graceful courtyard and plain, neat buildings.