I translated this brief history of gardens in China from the reference book:
Peng,Y.
彭一刚
(2008).
Zhongguo
gudian yuanlin fenxi 中国古典园林分析
(Analysis
of the classical Chinese garden).
25th Ed. Beijing: China Architecture & Building press.
Yuyinshanfang 余荫山房, suburbs of Guangzhou. Part of the Four Famous Gardens of Lingnan. Copyright © 2013 J.Richard. All rights reserved.
At
the beginning of the Ming dynasty1,
the capital was
located in Nanjing. Then the capital shifted to Beijing, on the base
of the previous Dadu. The Yuan dynasty's
Taijichi (太液池)
underwent transformations, the garden being enlarged to the south,
and three lakes added
: the northern lake Beihai (北海),
the middle lake Zhonghai (中海)
and southern lake Nanhai (南海).
All these are then part of the wide imperial park named Xiyuan (西苑).
Around
the middle of the Ming dynasty, agriculture and crafts
made outstanding progress, in parallel it also marked one of the
greatest development in garden-making. At this time, the important
garden centres were the surroundings of Beijing, Nanjing and Suzhou
cities. Officials and nobles built their private gardens in the
capital, Beijing. The gardens were usually scattered around water
ponds, or dispersed around the south-east area near the lake and the
river. The suburbs of Beijing also featured numerous gardens such as
the Shaoyuan2
(勺园),
the Liyuan (李园)
also called Qinghuayuan (清华园)
and the Liangyuan (梁园),
etc.
In
Nanjing, the secondary capital, there were
also many private gardens. But it was especially in the Suzhou area that
the private gardens were flourishing, because its thriving economy
attracted many bureaucrats. A number of these gardens still exist to
this day, among which
we can cite the Zhuozhengyuan (拙政园),
the Liuyuan (留园),
the Yipu (艺圃),
etc. Beside Suzhou itself, the whole surrounding region was crowded
with gardens. This popularity also reached the city of Yangzhou,
where scholars and painters gathered inside the growing amount of
parks. The abundance and richness of garden-making during the Ming
dynasty found its expression in the person of Ji Cheng, an educated
painter who created gardens, and
wrote the first treaty about garden making: the Yuanye3
(园冶).
After
the fall of the Ming, during the Qing dynasty4
the popularity of garden-making was maintained, particularly under
the reigns of the emperors Kangxi (康熙,
ruled from 1661 to 1722) and Qianlong (乾隆,
ruled from 1735 to 1796). The number of imperial gardens in Beijing
during the Qing dynasty exceeded ten. Inside the city, the Ming
dynasty's Xiyuan
was repaired, enlarged and perfected,
thanks to the construction of many buildings. To the north-west of
the city were successively built the Jingyiyuan5
(静宜园),
the Yuanmingyuan
(圆明园),
the Jichunyuan6
(畅春园)
and Qingyiyuan7
(清漪园)
etc., with a total of five imperial gardens. Moreover, in Chengde an
imperial garden was
also built for the summer use: the Mountain resort (避暑山庄).
The gardens of Qing dynasty were superior to those of the Ming
Dynasty in terms of number and size, marking the most flourishing
period for garden-making in Chinese history.
Under
the reign of the emperor Qianlong, Chinese economy was
flourishing and the country was
politically strong. The emperor undertook six inspections tours to
Jiangnan. Qianlong had a strong interest for garden-making, in
addition of being
a very cultured person. During his inspection tours, he selected his
favourite sceneries inside Jiangnan private gardens and then used any
possible means to
imitate these concepts in his own imperial gardens in the capital.
Therefore, we can
say that the Imperial gardens absorbed part of the Jiangnan private
gardens concepts. As a consequence, one characteristic aspect of the
Qing gardening style is to accumulate imitations of famous garden's
sceneries, and then group these together in a new garden. For
example, in the imperial Mountain Resort in Chengde, the emperor
Kangxi ordered the construction of thirty-six sceneries, and Qianlong
also created his own thirty-six sceneries. The Yuanmingyuan featured
Qianlong's famous forty sceneries. Every single one of these had its
own meaning and symbolic,
probably inherited from the eighteen sceneries of the West Lake in
Hangzhou. Inside the sceneries, the buildings themselves could be
imitations of Jiangnan gardens' constructions.
For example, many parts of the Mountain resort of Chengde are
imitations of Jiangnan region's buildings. The Jinshan ting
(金山亭)copied
the Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang (镇江).
The Yanyu lou (烟雨楼)
was inspired by the Yanyu lou in Jiaxing (嘉兴).
Following the same pattern, the Shizilin (狮子林)
in the Wenyuan8
(文园)
imitated the Shizilin
in Suzhou. Finally the Wenjin ge9
(文津阁)
was an imitation of the Tianyi ge10
(天一阁)
in Zhejiang (浙江).
Apart
from Beijing, during the Ming and Qing dynasties gardens were
principally built in Yangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxing, Hangzhou, etc. as well
as in the delta of the Pearl River11.
In Beijing were mostly the gardens of the emperor's family and those
possessed by nobles and high officials. Other officials, scholars and
wealthy merchants mainly built their gardens in the Jiangnan and
Lingnan12
(岭南)
regions. While visiting Yangzhou, it is said that Qianlong saw that
both banks of the Narrow West Lake (瘦西湖)
were covered with
gardens built by officials. Yangzhou gardens' where
mainly characterised
by exquisite
artificial mountains.
Thus the city
became famous for those, and a proverb was even created [to underline
this special feature]: ''Yangzhou is known
for its magnificent gardens, the gardens are known for their gorgeous
mountains and rocks'' (扬州以园亭胜，园亭以叠石胜).
In Suzhou as well,
the number of gardens was impressive: according to a statistic from
the liberation, in the city alone remained at least one hundred of
these. But the gardens still existing today have been modified many
times and can only be considered to date from the late Qing Dynasty.
In
the region of the Pearl River's delta, which is called Lingnan, the
weather is moist and the soil fertile. Hence,
garden-making had to be
adapted
to this natural condition: this makes for excellent garden-making
environment. This region was added to the Chinese territory during
the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. At this period Lingnan was
already an area with flourishing garden-making activity. As
Guangzhou's port was opened to the foreigners' trade, by the Ming and
Qing dynasty,
the Guangdong province developed, and so did the garden-making trend.
As a result of the foreigners influence, the Lingnan garden style
acquired very specific characteristics.
1.
Ming dynasty 明 (1368-1644).
2.
A garden created by Mi Fangzhong 米方种during
the Ming dynasty, nowadays part of the campus of Beijing University.
3.
The Yuanye (Craft of gardens) was written in 1634 by Ji Cheng 计成.
4.
Qing dynasty 清 (1644-1911).
5.
The Jingyiyuan was built on a previous garden site, in 1745 under
the reign of Qianlong. It is located in the Fragrant Hills to the
north-west of Beijing.
6.
The Jichunyuan is located to the south of the Yuanmingyuan. It was
started in 1684 under the reign of Kangxi, and was later on modified
and added to the wide imperial park created by Qianlong, including
the Yuanmingyuan.
7.
The construction of the Qingyiyuan started in 1750 under the reign
of Qianlong. It was situated to the west of the Yuanmingyuan.
8.
The Wenyuan is a part of the imperial Mountain resort in Chengde,
built in 1747 on the model of the Suzhou garden.
9.
Constructed in 1774, also part of the imperial garden in Chengde.
10.
A famous Ming dynasty built library in Ningbo, with adjacent
gardens.
11.
Around the city of Guangzhou.
12.
Lingnan 岭南 literally means ''To the south of the mountains'':
represents mainly the actual Guangdong province.
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