Ancient Landscape Garden Architecture in Shaanxi

Author: Tong Yuzhe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: Under the influence of the cultural exchange along the Silk Road, such as the "Western Learning Eastward" and "Eastern Learning Westward," as well as the interaction of Buddhist culture, Islamic culture, and other traditions, the types of landscape architecture became increasingly diverse. Numerous examples of the fusion of Eastern and Western landscape styles also emerged. During my middle age, I was deeply influenced and inspired by Mr. Liang Sicheng's exploration of the spiritual essence of ancient Chinese architecture. Since the 1960s, I began to focus on regional surveys, mapping the remaining traces of landscape architecture, delving into local culture, and collecting historical literature to dedicate myself to the study of the Chinese landscape architecture system. Given that the styles of Jiangnan gardens and Beijing gardens, as well as the exquisite Eastern landscape art we can see today, are like flowers and fruits, finding their underlying systems is even more important. With the accumulation of materials, by the 1990s, I proposed the research project "Chinese Western Landscape Architecture." With the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, I conducted further in-depth research and surveys in various regions of Shaanxi, collecting a large amount of material and data for the study. During the surveys, it was found that the Guanzhong region, since the Han and Tang dynasties, has rich examples of landscape architecture, a complete theoretical system, and a continuous traditional cultural context. It is deeply recognized for its role and significance in the historical development of Eastern and Western landscape architecture. Especially the philosophy of "Unity of Heaven and Man," which permeates the creative theory of landscape architecture, has formed a deep cultural and vitality that is now recognized and accepted by the global landscape architecture community. Therefore, it is timely to organize and publish this cultural heritage, which not only benefits the present but also facilitates future research, allowing the theoretical system of traditional Chinese landscape architecture to be promoted and developed.