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This lesson covers a time period known as the Ming Dynasty. The history of China is broken up into dynasties in which one familial line had a succession of rulers. The gardens that you will be looking at today date from the 16th century, but have been altered throughout the many years as they’ve changed ownership. These gardens are located in Suzhou, China.
Chinese gardens such as the following examples were retreats for high-ranking officials or the wealthy. These wouldn’t have been accessible to the average person. It’s important to point out the influence of Taoism at this time, specifically with how it relates to the design of these gardens. Taoism taught that humans were intimately connected to all aspects of nature. Gardens were a way of bringing people closer to the forces of the universe, both spiritually and materialistically.
Notice how this garden, titled the “Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets”, differs from the typical Western-style garden, particularly the designs of places such as Versailles in France and English-style gardens that emulated Versailles.
16th century
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
In Chinese gardens, there is a distinct lack of interest in flowering plants. They use plants, but they are typically sparse and leafy, such as bamboo. They were designed around the concept of sa-lo-kwai-chi, or the quality of being impressive or surprising through careless or disorderly grace. Essentially, what this boils down to is an intentional effort to appear disorderly. It’s important to remember that these gardens are not natural occurrences. They are contrived in a way that emphasizes the lack of order in nature while at the same time creating a state of harmony with the forces of nature.
It isn’t as apparent as it is in Western-style gardens, but these are carefully designed works of art, with the elements arranged in a way that maximizes the flow of energy—a practice called feng shui. Chinese gardens explore the idea of the balance of opposing forces of yin & yang, such as the male force of rock balanced by the female energy of water.
Rocks in particular were very important components of Chinese gardens. These gardens use irregularly shaped rocks from nearby Lake Tai. To emphasize the idea of careless or disorderly grace, artists and craftsmen would actually shape the already irregularly shaped Lake Tai rocks to appear even more irregular. It’s an interesting example of organized disorder. The intended appearance is the result of very careful, deliberate planning, not unlike the attempts of Renaissance artists, for example, to hide strokes of their paintbrushes so that the overall effect was more naturalistic.
16th century
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
17th century
Versailles, France
However, in both cases, the gardens represent the adaption of nature to a human ideal, and provided an environment where people could reflect and relax in the peace of the outdoors.
Source: This work is adapted from Sophia author Ian McConnell.
