Contact: Diane Relf, Extension Specialist, Environmental Horticulture
Posted April 1997
Through gardens, we can learn about and understand other cultures. The influence of a culture as shown through types of gardens helps us discover what a small world we live in. An example of this is the intriguing principles of the Chinese garden.
American gardens are, understandably, variations of European gardens. The monastery gardens developed in Europe were influenced by Greek and Roman patterns which were in turn derived from the gardens of Persia and cultures that emphasized geometric patterns. Chinese gardens are the opposite of geometric and emphasize the natural environment. Chinese garden builders pay attention to composition with every garden having a theme. The arts of painting and poetry are integrated with landscape in the Chinese garden, with the details of the garden unfolding much as the artistry of a Chinese scroll. Paths curve, forcing the viewer to move slowly and inviting him or her, by this slow pace, to enjoy small views or landscape compositions throughout the garden. Often poetry is carved in stone, on wooden tablets or on buildings.
Buildings are an integral part of the Chinese garden and often dominate the overall composition. Pavilions, corridors, verandas, halls or multi-storied buildings provide shelter so garden viewing can take place in any weather. The curved bridge, occasionally seen in Western parks today, is an example the Chinese garden influence adopted through the Japanese.
Plant materials in Chinese gardens are selected for appeal to more than the sense of sight. The sound of a plant in the wind or rain may be an important element. If only five trees are to represent the feeling of a forest, pines that sigh in the wind will suggest that remoteness. Large-leaved plants may be selected for the sound made by rain striking the leaves. In areas where people might rest, the scent of plants is an important consideration.
Earth and rocks can be used to stop the line of sight and suggest distant mountains. Instead of confining a space, this technique actually creates the illusion of more space. A modern application of this can be seen in large theme parks where the outside world of buildings and highways is not visible from inside the park.
Bodies of water are favorite components of Chinese gardens. Water can affect humidity and temperature, as well as provide an environment for water plants and fish. The sound of moving water may also be an important element in a garden.
As early as 3,000 years ago deer, cranes and waterfowl were bred in palace gardens in China. In a protected area where wild animals are more likely to be seen, their appearance enhances the natural effect of the garden.
In considering the question of why the Chinese garden is not represented in the West, we must also consider why the Japanese garden is present. The Chinese and Japanese have shared a cultural exchange for a very long time. When the Chinese garden was taken to Japan, the Japanese began to modify the concepts and eventually developed a unique garden type that, like the Chinese, was based on natural composition. Perhaps the extreme of Japanese garden style can be seen in the Zen dry gardens made of raked gravel and strategically placed stones suggesting water and land masses.
In Japan, the influence of gardening styles came directly from Chinese garden builders visiting there. However, the Chinese influence in Europe took a more contorted route. In the 17th century, Europe became very interested in Chinese culture and this taste for things Chinese, called Chinoiserie, lasted into the nineteenth. Unfortunately, the Chinese objects that reached Europe were often poorly made items for export and reports of Chinese styles were transmitted by merchants, not garden builders or artists. The result was the building of European gardens that were supposedly Chinese, but that were actually natural landscapes with poor imitations of Chinese garden buildings and little to no understanding of the complex aesthetics upon which Chinese gardens are based.
When Westerners finally travelled to Japan and China, political circumstances were such that Japanese gardens were in fine condition, but the best examples of Chinese classical gardens had fallen into ruin, thus the accurate representation of Oriental gardening styles was limited to the Japanese garden. Perhaps China's new interest in her own rich past will produce more examples of the classical Chinese garden that will influence our gardens in the future.
(Originally published by Judith L. Schwab, former Information Officer, Consumer Horticulture, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 5, Number 1.)
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