Private Gardens Merging the Rustic Charm
4 min readA lot of records and documents record the private gardens in this time. Some private gardens such as the residential gardens and gardens for relaxation were just built in the urban area; some others were built outside the city and become villas in combination with manors in suburb. For the owner’s social status, accomplishments and personal interests, the private gardens of the officials’ and royal relatives’
are different in their components and the tastes from those run by literati or celebrities with no official post. In addition, the gardens in the south of China are also different from those in north in their environmental conditions and cultural backgrounds.
1) Jingu Garden owned by Shi Chong-a masterpiece of villas in the Western Jin In the reign of Emperor Wudi of Jin (265-316), Shi Chong was a regional chief in Jingzhou. He collected a large sum of money to build his private garden. It was recorded that he “had a large sum of money and many properties; his magnificent halls and chambers were all decorated with silk embroidery and strings of beads made of gold and jade; he had all kinds of stringed and woodwind musical instruments; and the food list of his kitchen included all the uncommon birds and fish.”(Biography of Shi Chong in the Chronicles of the Jin Dynasty). Shi Chong enjoyed an extravagant life. When he retired, he began to live in Heyang Villa near the Jingu River in the northwest of Luoyang City, which was also known as Jingu Garden.
As stated in Recalling on Retirement and Seclusion, the Jingu Garden, built on a rolling ground near a river, was a natural aquatic garden with many towers, pavilions, storied buildings, and chambers for residence. The water in the artificial ponds and canals together with the water introduced from the Jinggu River formed a stream which winded between the buildings in the garden, with boat in its passages, where people could go fishing along its bank. Trees and other plants thrived in the garden. Cypress largely dominated the greenery and other plants werearranged to the places where they fitted. All these helped created beautiful scenic view.
The style popular in Han times could still be found in the garden and its architecture; however, the Jingu Garden was much more exquisite and refined than theprivate gardens built in the Han dynasty. This difference should be ascribed to the prevalence of the ideology,i.e. the idea of seclusion in mountains.2) Zhang Lun’s private garden-a masterpiece of urban private garden in the Northern Dynasty After moving his capital to Luoyang, Emperor Xiao Wendi(472-499) of the Northern Wei Period borrowed the culture of the Central Plains(comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River) and endeavored to popularize the traditions of the Han nationality in his country. As the capital, the Luoyang City had prosperous economy and advanced culture. The population increased steadily and the city expanded on its old basis built in Han and Jin times. There are numerous private gardens. In these gardens, one could find rockeries made with piled rocks, and some architectural images such as halls and towers. Zhang Lun’s Garden was a representative of the gardens in the city at that time.
It is recorded that the garden used to be densely covered with trees. And therefore it is assumed to be constructed on the site of a waste garden. It is notable that the Mount Jingyang, the huge rockery in Zhang Lun’s Garden, has a complex and sophisticated structure. It is obvious to be formed by skillfully piled rocks and earth. As the highlight of the garden, this artificial rockery displayed precisely the principal characters of natural mountains.
The actual acreage of the garden is unknown. But it could not be really sizeable since it was built in a lane of the city’s urban area. In order to miniaturize thenatural mountains and waters in the limited space, the garden builders must resort to an elaborate design which enable the smaller garden to embrace all the elements.
In this period of time, instead of completely adopting realistic methods, garden designers began to combine the gardening realism with poetic features. This is considered to be a great progress in gardening arts.
3) Xiangdong Park-a prestigious urban private garden in the Southern Dynasty Most of urban private gardens were run by royal clans and high officials. In order to enjoy extravagant life and show off their wealth, the garden owners were particular at the resplendent appearance of the rockeries and buildings. They were desperate for spectacular and luxurious landscapes in the garden. There are many urban private gardens kept in record. The Xiangdong Park built by Xiao Yi, the King of Xiangdong district and brother of Emperor Wudi of Liang (503-548), was a typical representative of all.
Located in Jiangling, the capital of Xiao Yi’s fief, the Xiangdong Park was a famous private garden in the Southern Dynasties. According to the historical record. this garden boasted numerous buildings which might be located either at the foot of a hill or beside a stream. Some of the buildings were surrounded by flowers and trees; some others were used to appreciate beautiful scenery outside the garden. Each of the buildings had its own focus and functions. In addition, the cavern in the rockery has a length of 200 steps, which indicates a high level of rock piling skills. It is evident that Xiao Yi must have made a meticulous plan for the rockeries, the waters, the greenery, and the architecture.
In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Periods, private gardens gradually developed its own features and began to run parallel to the imperial gardens. In the light of its artistic achievements, the private garden was still in its infant stage; however, it laid a foundation for its future prime and maturity in the Tang and Song dynasties.
