Chinese Garden Flashcards
Characteristics of Yu
Imperial hunting park/enclosed park
Characteristics of Pu
Vegetable garden/cultivation garden
Characteristics of Tai
Terrace/Viewing platform
Features of Yu Garden
Began during the late Shang and early Zhou period
Large natural areas, including forests, rivers, man-made lakes, cultivated plants, and wild animals
Enclosed by fences to define boudaries
Functions of Yu Garden
Created by royalty and nobility to gather and raise wild animals
Served both as a hunting ground and a place for leisure
Features of Pu Garden
Related to common people
The character 圃 demonstrated seedlings and organized vegetable beds
By the Eastern Zhou period, “Pu 圃” became a word that could refer to “garden”
Functions of Pu Garden
Used for cultivating fruits and vegetables, often for practical agricultural purposes
It also included trees and ornamental plants, giving it both functional and aesthetic qualities
Features of Tai Garden
Elevated spaces
Represented sacred spaces where gods were believed to reside
Mimicked the form of mountains, which were seen as powerful natural entities
Functions of Tai Garden
Used for observation, ancestral worship, religious rituals
Also used for defense during wars
Became the central feature of palace gardens, forming spaces known as 苑台 (yuan tai, royal garden terrace)
Characteristics of Garden in Yin &Shan Dynaties
No terrace, No garden
Early combined Tai and Yu
Built on elevated, scenic terrain with large terraces symbolizing the strength of the nation
Surrounded by water, forming the basic mountain-water 山水 pattern
Functions of Garden in Yin &Shan Dynaties
Served both practical and spiritual purposes: raising animals, connecting with the gods, and observing the heavens
Also used for leisure and entertainment (酒池肉林 - jiu chi rou lin, lakes of wine and forest of meat) in Shaqiu Yuan Tai Terrace, showing how much luxury and pleasure were part of the garden’s function at the time
Key examples of Garden in Yin &Shan Dynaties
Shaqiu Yuan Terrace
Ling Tai Terrace
Built by King Wen of Zhou
Characteristics of gardens during Spring and Autumn & Warring States Period
Gardens for leisure and viewing
True Chinese gardens began to emerge as complex palace environments—they
became comprehensive spaces centered around terraces, combining political, leisure, and natural elements.
• Introduction of pavilions and bridges.
• Intentional planting of flowers and trees.
• Gardens began to reflect key features of later Chinese gardens: integrating natural landscapes with man-made structures.
Functions of gardens during Spring and Autumn & Warring States Period
Served both practical and spiritual purposes: raising animals, connecting with the gods, and observing the
heavens.
• Also used for leisure and entertainment: “Jiu Chi Rou Lin” (酒池肉林 – lakes of wine and forests of meat) in
Shaqiu Yuan Tai Terrace, showing how much luxury and pleasure were part of
the garden’s function at the time.
Key examples of Spring and Autumn & Warring States Period
Palaces of the seven kingdoms: Yan’s Jieshi Palace, Qi’s Langya Palace
Zhanghua Terrace (Chu Kingdom): covered 2.2 million square meters with a grand terrace, requiring three stops to reach the top
Gush Terrace (Wu kingdom): An enormous garden palace on Gusu Mountain in Suzhou, known for its entertainment palaces, pavilions and spaces
Characteristics of gardens in Qin & Han Dynasties
The emergency of imperial and private gardens
the first major stage in Chinese garden history.
=> represent the culmination of this stage.
Development of Chinese gardens during Qin Dynasty
The unification of the Six Kingdoms by the Qin Kingdom marked the first centralized and unified empire in Chinese history.
• Royal gardens with an extensive scale emerged to reflect the centralized power of the new imperial system.
Eg: The Great Xianyang Plan
Development of Chinese gardens during Han Dynasty
- Scale : Han gardens were far larger
Eg : Shanglin Park covering 340 km2 originally built the Qin dynasty expqnded during Han - Layout : the introduction of one pond, three mountains (一池三山 - yi chi san Shan) design inspired by Chinese mythology
Eg: first applied in the Taiye Lakenin Shanglin Park during Han, became central to many imperial gardens in Ming and Qing - The rise of private gardens : high ranking officials began building their own private gardens, breaking the royal monopoly on garden construction and leading to a flourishing of the art of gardens design
Types of private gardens during Han Dynasty
(A) Gardens of nobles and officials:
(B) Gardens of Weathly Elites:
(C) Gardens of scholars/literati
Gardens of nobles and officials during Han
(A) Gardens of nobles and officials: included artificial mountains made of soil and rock, groundbreaking combination in Chinese garden history
Gardens of wealthy elites
B) Gardens of Weathly Elites: known as the largest and most luxurious private garden in Chinese History + hills resembling the majestic Erxiao Mountains 二崤山, large forests, deep ravines + rare birds and animals roamed freely within this vast garden, much like a large natural park today