Home » Plants & Animals » Garden Design » Classical Chinese Gardens

Classical Chinese Gardens

© Kirk Johnson

Chinese gardens are closely connected with landscape painting, these paintings are called shui hua, which means the painting of mountains and water, the word for landscape (shanshui) means the same thing, and a common Chinese term for creating a garden literally translates as "piling rocks and digging ponds". It was often said that water constituted the arteries of a Chinese garden, the rocky hills were the garden's skeleton and the plants were merely the garden's hair.

Plants in classical Chinese gardens were grown as much for their symbolic and literary associations as for their beauty. Ancient pine trees are valued as symbols of longevity and for their indomitable spirit. Plums which flower during the winter represent an unconquerable spirit, which blooms in the face of adversity. The lotus, which rises spotless from a sea of mud, symbolizes purity and truth. Bamboo, which bends in the wind without breaking, represents the honorable man. Peaches symbolize fecundity and immortality. Orchids represent the true gentleman, because they scent the room so subtly that no one notices the fragrance until they leave. Tree peonies are known as the King of Flowers; they are associated with wealth, nobility and prosperity. Chrysanthemums are probably the oldest cultivated flower in China; they represent those who defy frost (death). A favorite combination in classical Chinese gardens is that of bamboo, plum trees, orchids and chrysthemums, this combination is known as the "four virtuous gentlemen". Another favorite combination is that of bamboo, pines and plum trees, they are known as the "three friends of winter".

Another characteristic which all classical Chinese gardens share is that they are dominated by architecture rather than plants. The garden manual entitled Yuan Ye is the most comprehensive manual for classical Chinese gardens in existence. In this manual, the longest chapter is devoted to architecture, while plants don't even merit a chapter of their own. This may be because the gardeners were expected to know more about plants than architecture, but this attitude seems to have been characteristic of Chinese gardens for many centuries.

The most common form of architecture in Chinese gardens is pavilions which are often linked to each other by covered walks. Most of these pavilions are of post and beam construction. The posts support heavy roofs, but the sides are usually open to views of the garden. The covered walks are rarely straight; they wind through the garden and provide a frame for the constantly changing views. Classical Chinese gardens are designed to be experienced like the unwinding of a scroll. Most classical Chinese feature a pond, the paths circle the pond and branch off into smaller gardens. Chinese gardens were designed like mazes, it was felt that if you missed a part of the garden on your visit, that you would have something to discover on your next visit.