Dating back far and wide, China has a long tradition of landscape gardening, during which a unique artistic style gradually came into being. The art of China's classical landscape gardening drew nutrients extensively from various sources like philosophy, literature, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture and gardening, and has developed into a compound art that contains rich Chinese traditional culture and possesses enormous artistic, aesthetic, historical, cultural and tourism values. Therefore, a comprehensive summing-up and examination of the artistic features of China's classical gardens are essential to investigating thoroughly its cultural core and potential values, to inheriting and maintaining ancient Chinese civilization and traditional culture, and to bringing to full play its economical and social benefits in the current construction course of material and spiritual civilizations.
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. The construction of gardens became something of a fashion during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221BC), and by the Qin (221-207BC) and Han dynasties (206BC-220AD) 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 (420-581), private gardens came in vogue as the rich and powerful sought to express their sentiment in landscaping.
During the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties, a poetic touch was added to the layout and scenes of a garden, and became a general feature of classic Chinese art of garden construction. Chinese garden culture matured as a comprehensive school of its own during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), after the practice of many preceding dynastic periods, and rose to become one of three garden construction schools along with Western Asia and Europe. Classical Chinese gardens include imperial gardens and private gardens.
The Chinese classical garden originated from the desire to retire from the strife of officialdom and to shun from worldly affairs. It seeks the return to Nature and the cultivation of temperament.
Chinese classical private gardens were experienced as cultural rather the scenic.
Chinese private gardens were spiritual shelter for men of letters --- a place closer to Nature, closer to one's own heart, closer to the ancient, while far-away from their real social lives - as they were often frustrated and disappointed at the long-lasting monarchic feudal social system in China.
The design concept of Chinese private gardens was to provide a "spiritual utopia" for people to come back to Great Nature. These private were designed by artists and poets and were regarded as "Three-Dimensional Landscape Painting and Solid Landscape Poetry."
In Taoist philosophy and the refinement of culture underlies the theme of the garden. Hills and waters, lowers and trees, pavilion, terraces, towers and halls constitute the basic garden elements, while the prominent tone is expressed in the dark color of roof tiles, the grey of bricks, and chestnut brown of wooden pillars.
What’s more, the story of the gardens leads to an understanding of the former Confucian way of life of the scholars, artists, merchants and officials who established them, whilst their intrinsic design qualities convey the meditative influence of Buddhism and Zen. Set amidst plaques of traditional poetry, the naming of the pavillions, rock formations and viewing points, speak directly to the intuition and aesthetic insight of the viewer.
Poetry
Poetry is an essential part of a Chinese Garden. All through the Garden poems, sayings and literary allusions are inscribed on rocks, plaques and gates. This tradition traces back to early Suzhou gardens, which were typically attached to the homes of retired civil servants who pursued scholarly and philosophical interests. Builders of the Gardens were often among the best-educated in China.
Rock inscriptions are always short and appear horizontally or vertically, depending on the shape of the rock. Couplets appear vertically on the sides of entryways. Lintel inscriptions appear above doors and windows.
Buddhism in Gardens
The combination of gardens and temples is yet another salient feature of Chinese art of garden construction. The popular worship of Buddhism resulted in the presence of numerous Buddhist buildings in the garden, adding a touch of otherworldliness to the entire scene.
Harmony in Gardens
Gardens were often constructed by members of the scholar class with the intention that they would provide a hospitable location for gatherings devoted to cultivated pursuits like painting, calligraphy, and playing the zither, as well as for discussing important topics of the day.
The scholar seeks harmony through the philosophy of yin and yang, or complimentary opposites, and the peace and tranquility created by water softly flowing over weathered rocks or breeze playing through the leaves of trees is easily felt.