Chinese Garden
Chinese Gardens or Chinese Scholar's Gardens. "The design of Chinese gardens was to provide a spiritual utopia for one to connect with nature, to come back to one's inner heart, to come back to ancient idealism." (wiki)
Chinese gardens have seventeen essential elements: 1) proximity to the home; 2) small; 3) walled; 4) small individual sections; 5) asymmetrical; 6) various types of spatial connections; 7) architecture; 8) rocks; 9) water; 10) trees; 11) plants; 12) sculpture; 13) jie jing (borrowed scenery); 14) chimes; 15) incense burners; 16) inscriptions; 17) use of feng shui for choosing site.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Baekje Historic Areas | “Historical records indicate that the style of the Baekje gardens had a considerable influence on the development of Japanese gardens. However, as a garden in the royal palace from the Sabi Period was discovered at the Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri, it was confirmed that China, the Baekje Kingdom, and Japan were closely engaged in exchanges of their garden cultures. Some of the oddly formed rocks and strangely shaped stones in the Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri contain Chinese viewing stones, indicating the international nature of Baekje culture.” - Nomination File | |
| Classical Gardens of Suzhou | Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden, part of WHS are two of four Chinese great gardens | |
| Grand Canal | Ge Yuan in Yangzhou is one of the named components of section 12. | |
| Gusuku of Ryukyu | Shikinaen is a mix of Japanese and Chinese garden | |
| Hué | Many imperial mausoleum gardens and the recently restored Imperial citadel's garden are based on Chinese garden principal | |
| Imperial Palace | Beijing Imperial Palace for its imperial garden for the emperor and his family | |
| Mount Emei, including Leshan Giant Buddha | Mount Emei's Baoguo temple is also one of the best preserved and most lasting representatives of the typical structure of Chinese ancient gardens. | |
| Mountain Resort, Chengde | one of four Chinese great gardens | |
| Old Town of Lijiang | Black Dragon Pool is full with chinese classical garden elements | |
| Ping Yao | Pingyao's old government office complex garden is classical chinese garden, one of the few remaining example of offical residence gardens in China | |
| Site of Xanadu | Beiyuan, the garden where the Yuan Dynasty grew exotic and rare plants and cultivated unusual animals and birds (described by Marco Polo) | |
| Summer Palace | one of four Chinese great gardens | |
| Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius | Kong Clan's residence garden, one of the best example of classical garden in chinese nobility house | |
| West Lake | as the best example of Classic Chinese landscape and its many smaller gardens are considered to be part of ten great views of west lake | |
| Xidi and Hongcun | Xidi's Western Garden in the former residence of an official is a Suzhou Garden style |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Chinese Garden?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source