History of Chinese Landscape Architecture

Author: Zhang Jiaji
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This is a theoretical work on the history of Chinese garden design. Based on a wealth of historical materials and related records, it analyzes the garden-living lifestyles that emerged in different historical periods under specific social foundations from the perspective of dialectical materialism, offering purposeful and law-abiding insights. It also compares and elaborates on the nature of garden design in each era, the characteristics of gardens in terms of content and form, and the relationship between historical inheritance and development. For example, during the Qin and Han dynasties, the era of high-platform architecture, due to the separate management of imperial and state finances, the features of "grand gardens, high terraces, and distant horse tracks" were formed. In reality, this involved constructing numerous imperial palaces and pavilions within the domain of imperial material production, primarily for appreciating natural landscapes. Artificial landscape design was relatively primitive, limited to building earthen structures resembling cups in ponds, symbolizing the Three Immortals of the Sea. From the perspective of high-platform architecture, it is also known as "terrace gardens," while from the nature of garden design, it can be termed "natural-economic landscape palaces." The author of this book, after over forty years of research, through a scientific analysis of the historical evolution of Chinese garden design practices, reveals the unparalleled artistic excellence and unique characteristics of Chinese garden design in the world's garden culture.