Posted on October 21, 2012, Sunday
LOOKING at the development of garden design and landscaping in Sarawak over the last two decades, we have seen the industry grow by leaps and bounds.
AT PEACE: Chinese-style gardens are designed to enable meditation.
Last week we focussed on Japanese ideals in garden design and this week we turn to China and its long history of landscape art.
Feng shui
These two words are direct translations of wind and water in Mandarin. The purpose of using feng shui in the garden is to create harmony. Those under the influence of Taoism believe in a cosmic energy called chi – moving air or wind that is present everywhere.
According to this line of thought, it is of utmost importance to have chi flowing smoothly through the garden or house. This will apparently affect the inhabitants in terms of health, success, happiness and prosperity.
The art actually lies in influencing the flow of this cosmic energy to maximise the good fortune it imparts. Introducing some changes in the setting will allow for a smooth flow of chi. To an experienced feng shui practitioner, any space can be regarded as divided into eight sectors, following the earth’s magnetic or geological north and the rest southeast and west.
These techniques can be used in landscape design by controlling the colour, size, height, sound and shape of the plants, hardscape materials and the shape of the footpath or pool.
A friend named Dr Chang told me that having a pool of water in the east is less desirable for the younger generation, while in the west it is bad for the elders. This is because wind can create waves that will affect one’s health.
According to traditional beliefs, no garden can have good feng shui unless it contains water. Water attracts wildlife into the garden, from birds to beetles, which benefits the feng shui.
It is also a common belief that a house situated directly at the junction of a road is not ideal. Likewise, any main door that opens to the north directly is not good. This is probably because in China, the cold Siberian winter wind would blow south into the house.
Special features
My travels to various cities in China were enriching opportunities to learn garden design styles there. Chinese gardens are filled with cultural symbols and distinctive styles that reflect Chinese civilisation.
The earliest form of gardens were probably in the Shang (1600 to 1046 BC) and Zhou (1046 to 256 BC) dynasties. Animal farms were located around human dwellings, with natural landscapes of streams and hills. Such a place would have incorporated earth terraces, lakes or ponds with fish and lotus or water lilies.
Around 500 BC, man-made gardens would have been popular. The Suzhou Terrace of Gusu Hill is a beautiful example. This structure incorporated verandas and corridors.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENT: Bamboo is a must in Chinese-style gardens as it symbolises elegance and refinement.
By the Qin (221 to 206 BC) and Han (206 BC to 220 AD) dynasties , private residences began to build gardens. This saw the development of the art of landscaping with themes for garden layouts, designs, and scenes. In the early days, gardens were imitations of natural scenery, reproducing natural hills and streams.
During the Song dynasty (960 to 1279), landscaping began to section large gardens into various themes for different zones. The design style pursued the essence of nature with added spiritual and social functions. Gardens provided places for meditation and refinement. Aesthetic standards were perfected through large-scale garden designs and buildings with artwork, inscriptions and calligraphy.
By the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) and especially Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911), social life began to change. More refined garden developments occurred with styles for practical use, as gardens became a necessary daily living environment. It was then that many famous buildings and masterpieces were built leading to true perfection in landscape art.
Classical Chinese gardens advocate natural settings to reproduce nature for inner beauty. As such, many gardens paid close attention to the use of scenery for appropriate arrangement of physical features. By 17th century, Chinese gardens, although man-made, were the very essence of nature.
A pivotal guideline for Chinese landscape design is actually based on the famous Taoist concept of letting things take their own course. This line of landscaping was further enhanced by Laozi and Zhuangzi and continues even now.
Thematic ideas for gardens originated from Confucian teachings of balanced living. However, Taoist teachings with a belief in deities together with the once foreign teachings of Zen and Buddhism also left a remarkable influence in the development of Chinese garden art.
Essential plants
Bamboo symbolises elegance and refinement in Chinese culture. Poet Su Shi once said: “While one can live without meat, one can’t live without bamboo.”
Other meaningful plants include pine, plum, chrysanthemum, beech, ginkgo, lotus and day lily.
If you compare European and Chinese gardens, you’ll realise there are two extremes. Europeans preferred to pursue artistic perfection at the sacrifice of nature by removing hills and obstacles to create level fields for straight rows of plantings and built fountains. Chinese landscapers would imitate nature in an artistic way. The idea is to create places to find joy in nature and attain mental balance.
I hope this has given you an idea of the history of Chinese landscape development. We will examine these concepts more in future.
Happy gardening. Do send me an email if you have any questions or comments.
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Last year, the Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society Floral Design Group was invited to present the first invitational floral design exhibit in the more than 50-year history of the Southland Orchid Show at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino. 
