8. Chinese Classical Gardens

8. 中国古典园林

园林一向是中国文化的重要组成部分之一。一般来说，如果没有观赏过中国的园林就没有真正到过中国。

Garden building is considered a chief component¹ of Chinese culture Some people say that if you have never walked through a Chinese garden, you cannot say that you have really visited China.

中国园林历史悠久。最早是皇家贵族的狞猎场，建于公元前11世纪的周朝。秦汉年间成为皇家的休闲娱乐场所，修建得更加美丽堂皇。明清时期园林建筑进入鼎盛时期，圆明园是这一时期的杰出代表。与西欧的古典园林不同，前者长于几何建构，中国园林更是小规模的天然景观。传统的中国园林分三种：皇家园林、私人花园、风景区园林。

The Chinese garden has a long history. It first appeared as early as the 11th century BC during the Zhou Dynasty in the form of a hunting preserve for emperors and nobles. During the Qin and Han dynasties, those natural preserves were made more beautiful and became places of recreation for imperial families. Garden building had its heyday² during the Ming and Qing dynasties and the imperial garden Yuanmingyuan (the Garden of Perfection and Light) was regarded as the masterwork of this period. Different from classical European gardens, in which geometric patterns dominate, Chinese gardensαre made to resemble natural landscapes on a smaller scale. Traditional Chinese gardens fall into three categories: imperial, private，and landscape gardens.

大多数皇家园林位于华北：北京的北海公园、颐和园、紫禁城，河北承德的避暑山庄，陕西西安的华清池(有名的华清温泉)。皇家园林占地面积很大，比如颐和园占地290公顷，而承德的避暑山庄占地560多公顷是中国最大的皇家园林。园林大体有三种作用：行政管理、居住，休闲娱乐。在多数的皇家园林中多以南北为轴，园林的主体建筑与此假想中的中心线连接，其他的建筑分散在山水之间作为辅线与之相互呼应浑然一体。

Most imperial gardens are located in north China: Beihai park; the Summer Palace; the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City in Beijing; the Imperial Summer Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province; and Huaqing Palace, presently known as Huaqing Hot Spring, in Xi'an, Sha anxi Province. Imperial gardens occupy large areas. The Summer Palace，for instance, has an area of 290 hectares while the Imperial Summer Resort in Chengde, which covers more than 560 hectares, is the largest imperial garden in China. Most of these gardens have three sections which serve administrative³, residential⁴, and recreational purposes. In large imperial gardens, the main buildings are connected by an imaginary line in the middle of the garden on a north-south axis⁵. Other buildings scattered⁶ among hills and waters are linked by subordinate lines, forming a well-designed symmetry and adding more beauty to the chief architectural complex.

皇家园林的其他特征为色彩斑斓、人工假山和人工湖，别具一格。以塔、栏杆、屏风、石桌、石桥、拱桥为其建筑风格的特色。

Other characteristics of imperial gardens are coloured paintings, man-made hills and lakes, and ingeniously-designed buildings. Structures for artistic⁷ appreciation⁸, such as pagodas⁹, balustrades, screen walls, stone tablets, bridges，and decorated archways abound¹⁰ in those gardens.

大多数私家园林多聚集在中国的南方长江以南，多建在住宅的一侧或者是后面。园林中多为岩石、凉亭、池塘、小桥、树术和花草。四周到处是游廊、装饰、门窗，以便客人可以欣赏其中的美景。家庭的园林多为花园，用以招待客人、举行宴会、吟诗作画。多为开放式的且常在水边，以便赏景。蜿蜒曲折的游廊连接着各个景点，也是遮荫避雨的好去处。

Most private gardens are found in the south, especially in cities south of the Yangtze River. Private gardens were mostly built at one side or at the back of the residential houses. In almost every case, there is a large space in the garden set in a landscape of artistically¹¹ arranged rockeries, ponds, pavilions, bridges, trees and flowers. Surrounding the beautiful scene are small open areas partitioned by corridors or walls with latticed windows or beautifully shaped doors through which visitors can enjoy the sights. Buildings in the garden were used for receiving guests, holding banquets, reading, or writting poetry. They are open on all sides and are often situates near the water so that the whole scene can be enjoyed. The winding¹² corridors connect various buildings and also provide a covered veranda¹³ as shelter from the rain and shade from the sun.

苏州园林，是"园林中的园林是最好的展现中国传统私家园林的代表。沧浪亭质朴迷人，狮子林奇石巧布，拙政园水静房献，而留园则是建筑艺术古朴、山水林井然有序，这些都分别代表了宋、元、明、清时期的园林。

Suzhou, known as the land of gardens, displays the most and the best Chinese traditional private gardens. Among them, the Pavilion of the Surging Waves is known for its rustic¹⁴ charm, Lion Grove¹⁵ for its strange rockeries, the Humble¹⁶ Administrator's Garden for its tranquil¹⁷ waters and elegant buildings，and the Garden for Lingering in for its ancient architectural art and the arrangement of hills, waters, and plants. They are examples of the garden styles of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties respectively.

扬州的园林多以建筑风格独特、奇山怪石为特征。比如:在葛园中，不同形状的岩石可以表现不同的季节。南京的詹园，无锡的济昌园和上海的豫园都很著名。

Gardens in Yangzhou are characterized by their architectural style and artistic rockeries. In the Ge Garden，for example, different formations of rocks are used to show different seasons. The Zhan Garden in Nanjing, the Jichang Garden in Wuxi, and the Yu Garden in Shanghai are also well-known.

广东的园林多以大池塘，建筑颜色鲜艳和植物繁多而著名。顺德的清辉园、东莞的客园，佛山的十二石馆以及番周的雨音山社都是很好的代表。

Guangdong style gardens are distinguished¹⁸ by large ponds, brightly coloured buildings，and luxuriant plants. The Qinghui Garden in Shunde, the Ke Garden in Dongguan，the Twelve Stone Studio in Foshan，and the Yuyin Mountain House in Panyu are good examples.

风景园林多以自然景观为名，多用于大众休闲。古代的中国人多以“景”来命名风景区，美丽的名字使其更有意境。比如：杭州的西湖，扬州的二十四瘦西湖、以及济南的八坝湖等。杭州西湖很具有代表性:在湖心岛的南岸有3个塔，每个有2米高，各有5个出口。在岛的南角有个“我心相印亭”，透过出口可以看到分成3个部分的月亮，故得名“三潭映月”。

Landscape gardens are different and are places for public recreation. The landscape gardens contain a number of pleasant natural scenes. With a few man-made details, it looks more natural than artificial. The ancient Chinese used to call garden landscape ring which means "scene" in English. Good examples include the ten West Lake scenes in Hangzhou，the twenty-four slim West Lake scenes in Yangzhou and the Eight Darning Lake scenes in Jinan. In addition, each scene is endowed with a beautiful name, and each name in only a few words can express the principal theme of the scenery and give it a soul. The West Lake is typical. Off the southern shore of an island stand three stone pagodas, each two meters high. Five openings form a striking feature of the pagodas. From the centre of the "Mutual¹⁹ Affinity²⁰ Pavilion" at the southern tip of the island, reflections of the moon can be viewed through the openings and they are divided into three part.

Thus, the name "san Tan Yin Yue"or "Three Pools Reflecting the Moon" is created.

在古代中国，一些寺庙也多建在风景优美的地方，后来多成为人们休闲的好去处。

In ancient China，temples and monasteries²¹ were usually built in beautiful places; consequently, those built with gardens have become places for public recreation.

诗人和画家也为风景园林增色不少。他们为这些园林填诗作赋或者设计制造，后代们为了纪念他们把他们的诗歌刻在桌子上，庭子里，以及塔上。这也丰富了园林的内涵，吸引了众多的游客。

Many famous poets and painters contributed greatly to the development of landscape gardens. They either left poetic²² inscriptions²³ for those gardens, or designed the gardens themselves. In order to commemorate²⁴ those poets and painters, later generations had their poems and inscriptions engraved²⁵ on tablets, pavilions, or pagodas，thus enriching the gardens and inspiring visitors.

这些风景园林与很多的神仙和传说有关，这也为它们增添了许多冲秘的色彩。比如，浙江金山的法海寺和白蛇洞就与“白蛇传的传说”有关。南京的“莫愁”湖就是根据世代相传的传说得名的。风景园林不仅是休闲娱乐的地方，也是公众活动的地方。传统的宗教活动每年多在风景园林中进行。

In landscape gardens there are often reminders²⁶ of Chinese fairy tales or legends which add mystery to the beautiful scenes. For instance, the Fahai Temple and the White Dragon Cave in Jinshan Mountain in Zhenjiang relates to the fairy tale "The Legend of the White snake." The Mochou Lake in Nanjing is associated with a legend which has been handed down from ancient times. Landscape gardens are not only places for recreation, but also places for public activities. Traditional religious activities are usually held in these gardens annually²⁷.

中国园林的建筑艺术也对其他国家产生了巨大的影响。早至6世纪，中国的园林建筑就被引人日本，并被贯以中国名字。对中国风格的热衷使中国园林后来也传入了欧洲，比如在巴黎就有20多个这样的园林花园。

The technique of Chinese garden building has also exerted a great influence on other countries. As early as the sixth century, Chinese garden building was introduced into Japan where gardens were given Chinese names. Later the enthusiasm for Chinese style gardens spread to the European continent. For example, more than twenty such scenic²⁸ parks were built in Paris.

现代中国在竭力保护和重建古典园林。在 1980年中国建筑工程总公司的风景建筑公司建立，并与外国客户签约修建园林。同年，美国纽约市的大都市艺术博物馆的明轩园由该公司的苏州分公司建成。而中国广州分公司为西德的1983年的慕尼黑世界园林展览会修建了芳华园。

Modern China tries to protect and restore classical gardens and to build new ones. In 1980, the Landscape Architecture Art in New York City was built by the Suzhou branch of the company，and the Guangzhou branch completed the Chinese Garden (Fang Hua Yuan) for the 1983 Munich World Garden Exhibition in the West Germany.