Chinese Gardens
Chinese classical gardens were known for blending nature and man-made features in order to create a relaxing environment where one could roam freely in. they combined the best of architecture, painting, literature, and horticulture - making them the most integrated architecture form that boasts the highest level of artistry.
The chief characteristic of Chinese landscaped gardens is the pursuit of artistic moods. Lakes and rivers are important elements of Chinese gardens. Using natural landscape as a backdrop of gardens is and important technique that was commonly used in designing Chinese ancient gardens.
The classical gardens found in China can be divided into three major categories. The imperial gardens were meant for the emperors and their families. These gardens were usually part of the imperial palaces, the temporary abodes and palaces away from the capital where the emperors stayed for short periods. These gardens were massive in scale and were meant for the emperors'short stay, leisure, entertainment and hunting activities, as well as for the consecration of gods and deities. Private gardens were mainly built in the cities or in the outskirts of the cities, and they were also part of the residences. Though they were of a much smaller scale as compared to the imperial gardens, they were of an elegant style and were exquisitely constructed. They were usually for the literati to enjoy some quiet moments, for scholars to socialize with one another, or for high officials and rich merchants to display their social status and wealth. Then, there were the gardens that were built against the natural landscape, where there were abundant greenery and sources of water. These were usually combined with man-made structures and were open to the public. Other gardens were found in Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples and ancestral temples. These gardens were usually located in scenic areas where there dense forests so as to create a tranquil environment within and outside the temple gardens. Some of these gardens can be found in some well-known temples across China. For instance, Tantuo Temple and Jie tai Temple in Beijing, the Jin Ancestral Hall in Taiyuan of Shanxi Province, Xi Garden in Suzhou of Jiangsu Province, Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province and Eight Outer Temples in Chengde of Hebei Province. They are all of varying scales. Some of them are as big as the imperial gardens, or can be as small as a private garden. They are mostly set again natural landscapes, which are also tourist spots that open to all visitors.
Imperial Gardens
Imperial gardens are the earliest Chinese classical gardens and they are found in almost all the dynasties of China. They belong exclusively to the emperors and the imperial families and were usually created out of natural landscape, with man-made structures added to them to bring out the grandeur of the imperial family. With his political and economic privileges, the emperor could take ownership of any big plot of land and make it into a garden for his own leisure enjoyment. Surpassing any private gardens in size, the smallest imperial gardens could easily occupy an area of several hundred miles.
The earliest recorded imperial gardens in China were built in 11th century B.C during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The existing imperial gardens in China were all constructed or rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. The beautifully landscaped imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty emphasize on their functional values and the choice of names of the scenic spots within them. This brought about a unique feature seen in most imperial gardens with the combination of beautiful landscaped gardens and imperial palaces. The most representative of such imperial gardens would be the Summer Palace in Chengde and Summer Palace in Beijing (Yihe Garden) and Old Summer Palace (Yuanming Garden) in Beijing.
Lakes and rivers are important elements of imperial garden. The choice of location for the Summer Place in Beijing was based on this concept. With Kunming Lake as its center three islands were constructed in the lake - a classic layout popular at the time. The Summer Palace is the only last surviving imperial garden built on this model.
Building Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples and ancestral temples in the imperial gardens is one of its distinctive characteristics. This is especially so for Buddhist temples, which took up the majority in such buildings. Almost all the imperial gardens had at least one Buddhist temple built within them.
Private Gardens
The owners of private gardens were usually retired court officials, men of letters, landlords and rich merchants. China's ancient etiquette system enforced restrictions on the lifestyle and spending of the common people, anyone who went against the regulations would be prosecuted. As such, the private gardens were unmatchable in its scale and style to the imperial gardens.
Chinese classical gardens flourished from the periods of Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern dynasties. During this period, richness in poetic and artistic flavor became a signature pursuit of what they wanted to see in gardens. Private gardens were usually modeled against the requirements and interests of the owners. As private gardens occupied a small space, and in order to create a unique style to the taste of the owner, the garden designer had to be very creative in making use of the limited space in constructing a garden with wide varieties to satisfy the pleasure of the visitors. One excellent example would be Suzhou's Lingering Garden.
Making use of natural scenery is also an important tactic employed by the landscape designer when designing a garden. This involves skillfully using the faraway natural landscape as the background of the garden.
Creating artificial hills and channeling water are two techniques that are vital to designing Chinese gardens. In creating artificial hills, one does not seek the greatness in scale, but a refinement of all the elements attached to a natural landscape. The best materials used in the making of artificial hills are stones taken from the lakes. They are choice materials because of the smoothness and the exquisite brightness of the stones that are polished by water over a long period of time, as well as their natural contours. The most famous of such stones is none other than the ones from Tai Lake and they are known as "Tai Lake Stones".
The water surfaces in the garden are designed in irregular layout so as to bear resemblances to the natural landscape. The rivers and lakes are usually accompanied with artificial mountains to create an uneven and natural touch to an otherwise man-made garden. Other than hills and plants, building such as pavilions, corridors and bridges are also important to a garden. They serve as the subjects in the composition of a garden and constitute the scenic spots in it.
Chinese classical arts, especially poetry and paintings, had greatly influenced the designs of landscaped gardens. In the other hand, poets and artists also obtained their creative inspirations from the tranquil sights offered by a beautifully landscaped garden. Arts and landscaped gardens compliment each other in their glories. One example of private gardens would have to be Zhuozheng Garden (Humble Administrator's Garden) in Suzhou.
To many scholars and literati, their material and spiritual lives were inseparable from the landscape gardens. In a landscaped garden, one could also feel the emotions and interests of these individuals. A landscape garden is not merely composed with artificial hills, rivers and pavilions. It is a work of art that is put together with different artistries that exist in Chinese culture and society.
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