The
Garden of Gardens
20
Sep 2007
The
Garden of Perfect Clarity -
the Garden of Gardens
One of the greatest
attributes of Chinese classic
garden design, which sets itself apart from
the garden design theories and practices of
all others, is its strong emphasis on space
themes. Different from those that just play
around with forms and colours and other
visual appealing elements, Chinese subject
gardens create a built environment that revibrates the
essence of Nature, and reflects the spirits of
Man, which not only gives space its depth but
soul.
When designing a
typical Chinese garden, the very first step
to follow is of so-called 立意为先 (theme first), which is much
like when composing a poem, planning a
painting. What truly counts here is not of
words and punctuations, or of lines and
colours, or of structures and spaces, but
intangible ideas and feelings that are
articulated through or inspired by tangible
objects.
However, unlike much
more metaphysical expressions of writing or
painting, a Chinese spatial theme is not only
determined by abstract and subjective human
conceptions and personal experiences, but
solid and objective concerns and factors too,
in particular the physical traits of the
specific environment, financial aspects,
technology conditions and marterial
availabilities.
One of the very
unique features in the Chinese subject garden
practice is that the components which help
shape the theme of a visual scene go beyond
the physical forms, as the lintels over the
gates, the couplets on the walls are all
quintessential parts of a spatial theme.
Without prose, a subject garden would be
considered short of cultural dimensions thus
lingering at a shallow and superficial level.
One
of over a hundred theme gardens in the Garden
of the Gardens
