When Europeans first heard and saw Chinese gardens and parks, they were simply amazed at their charm and identity. The school of landscape art of the Celestial Empire is completely unusual and unlike everything that we are used to. Neat trimmed lawns are not found here, as is customary in the English style, there is no sharpness of lines inherent in the principle of regularity of flowerbeds broken in France, etc. In China, the highest value is nature itself. Therefore, here, even on the territory of a small area, they try to reproduce it with maximum accuracy and in the most harmonious manifestation.
The original Chinese garden is not only plants, but also rivers, mountains, lakes, even if recreated in miniature. This is absolutely not important. The main thing is that the created landscape design helps people understand and feel the harmony between nature and themselves.
History of creation
The ancient Chinese garden has not only a centuries-old rich culture, but also unique features. It has existed for more than five millennia. The ancient views of Chinese gardens performed in various styles were considered the best among the existing three systems of structural breakdowns of parks in the world. Such they are today.
The history of Chinese gardens dates back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Then they were called "Yu", which meant "closest to the landscape." It was a beautiful place for socializing and games. During the Han Dynasty, the Chinese garden was built as a villa and was called "yuan." Here the emperors could relax and discuss state affairs.
The main idea that the Chinese garden personifies, the garden - is the "creation of the natural world" in miniature. When creating it, the natural landscape with all the features of the geographical area is used to the maximum. This approach can be observed today in many national parks, especially when it comes to imperial or monastery Chinese gardens.
Kinds
Several types of Chinese-style gardens are conventionally distinguished. First of all, these are imperial parks located in the north of the country. A lot of them are in the suburbs of the capital. There are also analogues at the imperial tombs, temple, home, etc. Nevertheless, the whole variety of Chinese gardens today is reduced to two main types: imperial and private.
Description
One of the main directions of landscape art of the Celestial Empire is the creation of miniature landscapes on small plots of land. A variety of architectural structures, such as bridges, arbors or pavilions, can be placed in a traditional Chinese garden. It must have ponds. You can even find rocks and grottoes. For general aesthetics, rare species of trees, flowering shrubs planted both singly and in small groups are added to the composition.
Another direction is landscape designing over a vast territory with the construction of huge reservoirs and large relief forms on it. Most often - man-made type: rocks, mountains, waterfalls. Mandatory is the presence of large groups of plants, which can be separated by paths, as well as "rivers" or even "streams". The most commonly used crops are Rosaceae. For example, there may be trees such as almonds, apple trees, cherries, plums, peaches, as well as tree or grass plants: tulips, peonies, roses, killer whales, lilacs, lagerstroemias and other beautifully flowering representatives of the flora world.
Features
A miniature garden in the Chinese style can be created even on a summer cottage with a size of six acres, while owners of more impressive land areas should choose the second direction of design. The main idea of park design in the Middle Kingdom is that visitors feel absolute peace, tranquility and unity with nature.
Another feature that characterizes the traditional Chinese garden is the creation of "infinity" so that a person walking through it, from each new point, sees not one picture, but several successive landscapes. In this case, the elements of the composition should be in perfect harmony. Nothing should be too bright and catchy or, conversely, seem inconspicuous.
Naturalness
The Chinese garden is simply obliged to look natural. The designer is required to create the impression that everything around was created without human participation. As if nature itself had built trees, stones, ponds in unusual arbitrary images. However, few know that such seemingly somewhat sloppy compositions are actually very deeply thought out to invite to meditation and reflection.
The principle of borrowing in a landscape
According to the laws of oriental landscape art, the Chinese garden is divided in such a way that at any point after one panorama another opens. Such a design technique is called the “principle of borrowing landscapes”, thanks to which you can visually expand the boundaries of the site. The secret to translating this phenomenon into reality is very simple: a multifaceted perspective is created, after which decorative bridges and paths are laid that connect the panoramas to each other.
Symbolism
The Chinese garden is not only one of the options for landscape design, but also a projection of the soul of its owner. After all, it can be built according to the rules of Feng Shui, in which everything is subject to the harmony of the world. According to this teaching, the space surrounding a person must contain elements that symbolize the components of our universe. Therefore, the components of the Chinese garden - the signs "yin" and "yang" - embody the unity of opposites. They are combined in the Celestial parks in such a way as to enable the "qi" - the life-giving energy - to move freely in space. In addition, most elements also symbolize various states of life, for example, peach means well-being, peony means wealth, etc.
Water
In China, at all times, nature was taken very seriously. After all, it was believed that joy and sorrow depend on it. In the Chinese garden, several mandatory components are used. One of them is water. She, organizing a common space, divides the territory into different zones. For example, a pond with its smooth surface is a symbol of calm and peace, a jet from a fountain, streams or a waterfall - perpetual motion. Any body of water in a Chinese garden should not have artificial lining or high banks. Pergolas and pavilions installed on the islets occupy almost the entire place towering above the water. This is necessary to create the impression that these buildings "grew" out of the water surface.
Stones
They are indispensable components of Chinese gardens. Stones balance man-made structures and natural elements. To create such an effect, simple slides of boulders are often arranged where no plants are planted. In general, in Chinese culture, stones are treated with awe - they are admired, they are listened to.
Flowers
Such plants in the Chinese garden are usually few in number. But each of them carries its own symbolic special meaning. The most respected was the tree peony, which is here called the "king of flowers." Often in the garden there are lotuses, roses, chrysanthemums, daffodils. Each of the noble flowers is necessarily tinted by a simpler plant, a "lower" rank. For example, for a peony, the best companions are a rose or a dog rose, a chrysanthemum is “shaded” by a begonia. The same thing happens with trees. For example, a plum tree is planted next to magnolia or camellia.
Trees
Large and old trees that have been growing on the site for decades are especially respected in Chinese-style gardens. Almost always there is a pine symbolizing nobility. Peach or plum is not uncommon. Landscape designers consider bamboo to be a great addition to a picturesque composition . He in the East is the personification of vitality and stamina. Other trees, no less beloved for the Chinese, are magnolia, willow and, of course, sakura.
The buildings
Gardens of the Middle Kingdom cannot be imagined without any man-made structures. These are arbors, terraces, tea houses made in the traditionally oriental style. They are located on the territory in such a way that a person, being in them, has the opportunity, contemplating the whole space, to enjoy harmony.