The footprints of Qi Jiguang, Li Shizhen, Xu Jie, and Chen Jiru have been left behind in the landscaping of this still existing Jiangnan scenic spot | Theory | Qi Jiguang
Jiangnan is good not only for its wealth and beauty, but also for its rich cultural heritage, inheriting the mantle of Chinese civilization, and building a spiritual habitat. Jiangnan gardens are the real carrier of this spiritual home and the accessible "Peach Blossom Spring". Humble Administrator's Garden, Netmaster's Garden, Zhan Garden, Jichang Garden, Geyuan Garden, Yu Garden, Guyi Garden and so on converge in the south of the Yangtze River, which is the combination of geography and the residence of culture.
"Jingnian Garden is good, and the goodness of the world can be praised."
Chinese gardens originated from the royal family. As far back as the Yin and Zhou dynasties, nobles and nobles often built gardens and enclosures in areas surrounded by mountains and rivers and where animals roamed, in order to prepare for horseback riding and archery. The existing Chengde Mountain Resort with Mulan paddock is the royal garden of the Qing Dynasty built to continue this concept.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the royal garden design paradigm based on landscape, vegetation, hunting, and palaces became more complete. The Shanglin Garden built by Emperor Wu of Han on the site of the Qin Dynasty is vast and magnificent in appearance. Sima Xiangru provided a detailed description of this in his "Shanglin Fu".
For example, Yan Shan said, "Chongshan stands tall and towering, with lush green onion trees between them. The deep forest is covered with giant trees, and the rocks are uneven."; Yan Shui said, "The eight rivers are divided into different states, facing each other in opposite directions. They rush back and forth in the east, west, north, and south."; Yan Gongguan said, "Leaving the palace and leaving other halls, I cross mountains and valleys. There are four high corridors and four annotations, and I sit in the Qu Ge again."; Yan Tianxun said, "Carrying autumn and crossing winter, the emperor will hunt. Riding on a carved elephant, the six jade cliffs."; Yan Huacao said, "The view of Zhou Lan is broad, and the meticulous and diverse rolling of fluorene, the dazzling and flickering light, seeing it without reason, and observing it without limits."; Yan rested and said, "When the game is slack, wine is placed on the platform of Haotian, and Zhang Lehu is in the house of the sky.".
Gardens are different from palaces in that they integrate nature into one. This kind of space that touches the mountains and rivers, leisurely leisurely recreation, is increasingly favored by the literati and gentry.
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the literati class revered simplicity and seclusion. Finding a rural life far away from war and persecution, and expressing affection for mountain and water farmhouses, became a popular social ideal at that time. Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring" during the Eastern Jin Dynasty constructed an ideal country that people yearned for. He also infused new ideas into private gardens with poems such as "Silently reciting the beauty of gardens, expressing the goodness of the world", "Opening up the southern wilderness, guarding the humble garden fields", and "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains".
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, scholars represented by Wang Wei and Bai Juyi integrated the beauty of poetry, literature, calligraphy, and painting into their gardening practices. Wang Wei's "Wangchuan Bieye" and Bai Juyi's "Bailianzhuang" organically combine architectural beauty with poetic and painting beauty, gradually forming a more distinctive garden form.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the economy and culture in the Jiangnan region flourished, and private garden construction flourished in large numbers. Firstly, the prosperity of Jiangnan has given rise to a large demand for private gardens in society; Secondly, the prosperity of Jiangnan culture has nurtured a group of literati who are deeply familiar with traditional culture, possess elegant artistic taste, and understand the laws of construction.
The Annals of Gardens in the South of the Yangtze River says: "Where there are rich officials, great scholars and scholars in our country, almost all of them are private gardens, and most of their essence is gathered in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River." The book talks about more than 50 gardens in Suzhou, Yangzhou, Changshu, Wuxi, Nanxiang, Jiading, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Nanxun, Jiaxing, representing the highest achievement of Chinese classical gardens. They have a unique style, ranging from small to large, blending landscape poetry and painting into one. They have a layout that combines heaven and man, and a rustic charm of rural farmhouses, taking the beauty of classical gardens to the extreme.
During this period, Jiangnan gardens had the architectural characteristics of integrating residential and recreational areas, including residential areas for daily living and garden areas for leisure and entertainment. Gardens are usually built to the north or northwest of residential areas, commonly known as "backyard gardens.". The current Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden is actually the garden part of the entire homestead, built in the north and divided into three parts: east, middle, and west.
In a homestead, not only can one cultivate vegetables in the garden and enjoy the elegance of the forest and spring, but they can also serve their parents without violating filial piety. The famous Yu Garden in Shanghai was built by Pan Yunduan, the Right Chief Executive of Sichuan in the Ming Dynasty, in the name of pleasing his relatives after he returned from his post.
Ancient houses generally face north and south, with rooms and courtyards symmetrically distributed around the central hall. The buildings are neat and orderly, reflecting a rigorous hierarchy and hierarchy; The garden area is more of an artistic world, where cultural and creative activities such as folding mountains and managing water, reciting poetry and painting, listening to music and drinking tea are all enjoyed.
For example, the two characters "Yan Mountain" in Yan Mountain Garden are in line with the West Queen Mother's Mountain, and the names of garden landscapes such as Jiaoxiang Path, Cuisheng Bridge, Qiong Yaowu, Zanyun Stone, and Wenyi Hall are infused with ethereal fairyland colors.
As a result, the entire homestead has become an organic living entity of "entering the world" and "leaving the world", reflecting the dual traditional values of following "order" and pursuing "freedom". This space that integrates "order" and "freedom" better illustrates the traditional Chinese cultural characteristics of Confucianism and Taoism, sacredness and secularity, and the integration of spirit and material.
"From 'Hidden in the Garden' to 'Enjoying in the Garden'"
Jiangnan gardens integrate the beauty of mountains and rivers, countryside, and architecture, becoming gardens with themes everywhere. Each theme is a narrative, a spiritual pursuit and sustenance, endowing the garden owner with a world of unity between heaven and humanity from both the "form" and "spirit" aspects.
Before the middle of the Ming Dynasty, in the Jiangnan region, gardens were built, farmed, or nurseries. Garden owners generally lived a simple and comfortable life, caring for their families and elderly. "Hidden in the garden" was the main theme of garden design.
Wang Xianchen was disillusioned in the officialdom and retired from Suzhou, where he built a garden to entertain himself for the rest of his life. He named the garden Humble Administrator's Garden because he liked Pan Yue's "Ode to Leisure Residence" from the Western Jin Dynasty, which stated that "the garden was filled with vegetables and sold for daily use... This is also a form of governance for the clumsy.". The setting of scenic spots such as the secluded residence of Wuzhu in the park, the small waves, and who sits in the same pavilion all express the original intention of "being lost in confusion, carefree and playful".
Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with the prosperity of the commodity economy, it has become a trend for gentry to compete with each other and pursue exquisite and magnificent gardens. The style of garden architecture is characterized by tall and dense buildings, beautiful decorations, and unique flowers and stones.
For example, after the owner of the Humble Administrator's Garden was replaced by Zhang Luqian, the density of buildings in the garden increased significantly, striving for tall, exquisite and magnificent buildings; The owner of the garden is addicted to the song stage, the hall, and the wine, and the combination of silk and bamboo.
In addition to poetry, wine, and entertainment, flower and incense ceremonies, reading and playing with stones, and playing games for fun, gardens are also a gathering place for literati. Famous figures who left their footprints in Yanshan Garden include Qi Jiguang, Li Shizhen, Xu Jie, Tu Long, Chen Jiru, and others.
As a result, the elegant, reclusive, and ancient atmosphere of Jiangnan gardens gradually faded away, and "hidden in the garden" was gradually replaced by "entertaining in the garden". Under the influence of this trend, many garden names have been named with surnames, such as Wu's Garden, Wei Garden, Liu's Xiaozhu, etc., to demonstrate family identity and status.
Along with it, the urban class has also begun to build gardens. For example, people from Suzhou have opened small courtyards in front and behind their houses, dug ponds and stacked stones, and planted flowers and trees, creating a picturesque scene of "half garden pavilions in the city". "Although there are many households living in Luyan, they also decorate small island basins for fun.".
"Although it is made by humans, it is as if it were created by heaven."
The rise and prosperity of Jiangnan gardens are not only due to the geographical advantages of mountains, rivers, and plants, but also to the development of garden theory and the emergence of famous garden designers. From Ji Cheng and Wen Zhenheng in the Ming Dynasty to Li Yu in the Qing Dynasty, he not only wrote books and theories on classical garden art, but also left a valuable legacy for future generations through his garden practice.
In terms of garden art, the practice of calligraphers and painters represented by the "Wumen School of Painting" laid the foundation for garden theory, such as Shen Zhou's "Water Bamboo Residence", Wen Zhenmeng's "Medicine Garden", Wen Zhengming's "Stop Cloud Pavilion", and so on.
In the late Ming Dynasty, the gardening techniques in Jiangnan reached perfection, and professional aesthetic theory works emerged, such as "Yuanye" by Wu Renji Cheng and "Changwu Zhi" by Wen Zhenheng. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Li Yu also left wealth in creating aesthetic theories for the public's living spaces through his work "Occasionally Sending Leisure Feelings".
Ji Cheng was born during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and his ancestors lived in Tongli, Suzhou. He had considerable literacy in poetry and painting, and had a strong interest in garden construction; Middle aged families have declined, but they have made outstanding contributions in garden art. His work "Yuanye" fully incorporates the essence of classical garden construction concepts, including ground, foundation, buildings, scaffolding, decoration, railings, doors and windows, walls, paving, mountain climbing, stone selection, and borrowing scenery. It clearly proposes the artistic purpose of "although created by humans, it is like opening from heaven", emphasizing "cleverness in borrowing and refinement in physical fitness".
This is the first comprehensive and systematic theoretical summary in the history of Chinese gardens, establishing the important position of Jiangnan gardens in Chinese garden art. It is also the world's first monograph on horticulture, praised by the Japanese court as a "pioneering work", and revered by European and American countries as a "holy scripture of ecological civilization".
Wen Zhenheng and Ji Cheng were contemporaries who came from a scholarly family and valued the atmosphere of life. Their father built the Hengshan Thatched Cottage, Lanxue Studio, Yunjing Pavilion, and Tonghua Academy. Wen Zhenheng is also a practitioner of garden art, having built fragrant grass halls. The park has landscapes such as Chanjuan Hall, Cage Goose Pavilion, Moon Tower, Crane Dwelling, Fish Bed, Yan Curtain, Xiaotai, and Qunuo.
Wen Zhenheng's "Changwu Zhi" is an encyclopedia of the exquisite lives of ancient Chinese scholars, consisting of twelve volumes. Among them, there are four volumes about home furnishings, including a house, several beds, utensils, and location. There are three volumes related to landscape layout, including flowers and trees, water and stones, and birds and fish. The rest are volumes of calligraphy and painting, tea, clothing, boats, vegetables and fruits.
Li Yu was born in Rugao, Jiangsu, with ancestral roots in Jinhua, Zhejiang. He is a writer, playwright, aesthetician, and also a horticulturist. He claimed to have two unique skills in his life: one is to discern music, and the other is to build a garden pavilion.
Li Yu's "Leisure Love and Occasional Sending" includes various topics such as food and drink, leisure and recuperation, sound and appearance, living room, utensils and entertainment, planting, lyrics and music, and exercise. It discusses various issues such as food and cooking, leisure and medical care, decoration and dressing, living room scenery, utensils and entertainment, and opera theory. Among them, the living room department, toy department, and planting department concentrated on showcasing his gardening ideas.
Li Yu believes that extravagance is the most taboo thing in civil engineering. "The families of bandits, commoners, and commoners should uphold frugality and simplicity, and even the nobles should adhere to this principle. The system of building a living room should be refined rather than beautiful, novel and elegant, and not delicate and romantic. This idea not only inherits the ancient concept of" learning from nature "in garden construction, but also adapts to the trend of secularization and popularization of gardens.".
In terms of manufacturing methods, Li Yu has many creative ideas. For example, he proposed the method of using soil instead of stone, which not only reduces manual labor but also saves material resources, and has a natural twist.
From Ji Cheng's professional landscaping theory, Wen Zhenheng's pursuit of exquisite living spaces, to Li Yu's creation of mass living spaces, we can clearly see the aesthetic taste of traditional landscaping theory and feel the advancement of landscaping ideas with the times. In the new situation, it is necessary to deeply explore the traditional theory of building, enhance the public's aesthetic taste, and continuously meet the people's needs for a better living environment.
