Traditional Chinese Garden: Description, Species and Features

When Europeans first heard and saw Chinese gardens and parks, they were simply amazed by their charm and originality. The School of Landscape Art of the Celestial Empire is completely unusual and unlike anything we are used to. There are no neatly cropped lawns here, as is customary in the English style, there is no line sharpness 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 section, they try to reproduce it with the utmost precision and in the most harmonious manifestation.

Originally a Chinese garden - 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 the surrounding nature and themselves.

History of creation

Ancient Chinese garden has not only a centuries-old rich culture, but also unique features. It has existed for more than five millennia. Performed in different styles of ancient types of Chinese gardens were considered the best among the existing three systems of structural parks in the world. They are the same today.

The history of Chinese gardens dates back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Then they were called "yu", which meant "the one closest to the landscape". It was a beautiful place intended for communication and games. During the Han Dynasty, the Chinese garden was built as a villa and was called the "yuan". Here the emperors could rest and discuss state affairs.

The main idea that the Chinese garden represents, the garden is "the creation of the natural world" in miniature. When it is created, the natural landscape with all the features of the geographical area is maximally used. This approach can still be observed today in many national parks, especially when it comes to imperial or monastic Chinese gardens.

Kinds

Conventionally, there are several types of gardens in the Chinese style. First of all, these are the imperial parks located in the north of the country. A lot of them in the suburbs of the capital. There are also analogues in the imperial tombs, temple, home, etc. Nevertheless, the diversity of Chinese gardens today is reduced to two basic types: the imperial and the private.

Description

One of the main directions of the landscape art of the Celestial Empire is the creation of miniature landscapes in small areas of the earth. A traditional Chinese garden can accommodate a variety of architectural structures, such as bridges, gazebos or pavilions. It is necessary to have water reservoirs. You can even meet rocks and grottoes. For a common aesthetics in the composition rare species of trees, beautifully flowering shrubs, planted both singly and in small groups, are added.

Another direction is the design of the landscape on a vast territory with the installation on it of huge reservoirs and large relief forms. Most often - man-made type: rocks, mountains, waterfalls. It is necessary to have large groups of plants that can be separated by paths, as well as by "rivers" or even "streams". The most commonly used crops are rosaceous. For example, trees such as almonds, apple trees, cherries, plums, peaches, as well as tree or herbaceous plants can be located here: tulips, peonies, roses, tangents, lilacs, larchstrings and other beautifully flowering representatives of the world of flora.

Features

A miniature garden in the Chinese style can be created even in a country house with a size of six hundred square meters, whereas 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, peace and unity with nature.

Another feature that characterizes the traditional Chinese garden, is to create "infinity", so that a person walking along it from every new point saw more than one picture, and several successive landscapes. In this case, the elements of the composition must be in absolute harmony. Nothing should be too bright and catchy, or, on the contrary, seem imperceptible.

Naturalness

The Chinese garden is simply obliged to look natural. From the designer it is required to create the impression that everything around was created without human participation. As if nature itself has built trees, rocks, ponds into unusual arbitrary images. However, few know that such seemingly somewhat careless compositions are in fact very deeply thought out to invite to meditation and meditation.

The principle of borrowing in the landscape

According to the laws of oriental landscape art, the Chinese garden is broken in such a way that another point opens after one panorama. Such a technique in design is called the "principle of borrowing landscapes", through which you can visually expand the boundaries of the site. The secret to realizing this phenomenon is very simple: a multifaceted perspective is created, after which decorative bridges and paths connecting panoramas with each other are laid.

Symbolism

The Chinese garden is not only one of the variants of landscape design, but also the projection of the soul of its owner. After all, it is built according to the rules of feng shui, in which everything is subordinated to the harmony of the surrounding 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 of "yin" and "yang" - represent 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 different life conditions, for example, peach means well-being, peony-wealth, etc.

Water

In the Middle Kingdom at all times, nature was taken very seriously. After all, it was believed that it was on her and depends on joy and sorrow. In the Chinese garden, several mandatory components are used. One of them is water. It, by organizing a common space, divides the territory into different zones. For example, a pond with its smooth surface is a symbol of tranquility and peace, a stream from a fountain, streams or a waterfall - an eternal movement. Any pond of the Chinese garden should not have artificial lining or high banks. Pavilions and pavilions set on the islets occupy almost the entire place towering above the water. This is necessary to create the impression that these buildings "grew" from the water's surface.

Stones

They are mandatory components of Chinese gardens. Stones balance the structures created by man, and natural elements. To create a similar effect, simple slides of boulders are often arranged where no plants are planted. In general, in Chinese culture, stones are treated with trepidation - they are admired, they are listened to.

Flowers

Such plants of the Chinese garden, as a rule, are few. But each of them has its own symbolic special meaning. The most deserving of the worship was the tree-like peony, which here is called the "king of flowers". Often in the garden there are lotuses, roses, chrysanthemums, daffodils. Each of the noble flowers is necessarily shaded by a simpler plant, the "rank" is lower. For example, for a peony, the best satellites are a rose or a dog rose, the chrysanthemum is "shaded" by begonia. The same happens with trees. For example, a plum is planted next to a magnolia or a camellia.

Trees

Special honor in the gardens in the Chinese style is used by large and old trees that grow on the site for more than a decade. Almost always there is a pine symbolizing nobility. It is not uncommon for a peach or plum. A wonderful addition to the picturesque composition of landscape designers believe bamboo. He in the East is the personification of vitality and fortitude. Other, no less favorite for Chinese trees, are the magnolia, willow and, of course, sakura.

The buildings

Gardens of the Heavenly Empire can not be imagined without any man-made structures. These are made in traditionally oriental style gazebos, terraces, tea houses. They are placed on the territory so that the person, being in them, had the opportunity, while contemplating the whole space, to admire harmony.