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Aug 6, 2023
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From imagination sparked by a textbook article to the physical exploration of classical Chinese gardens of the Jiangnan region, this essay documents my personal journey through nine renowned gardens in Wuxi, Suzhou, Yangzhou and Nanjing. Walking along winding bridges and through artificial hills, I experienced the authentic scale and texture of these gardens, gaining insights into the ancient Chinese philosophy of the "Harmony between humans and nature" where painting-like scenery, the elegance of nature, and the philosophy of life are masterfully blended.
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Have you also ever felt a fascination with classical gardens because of the description in a textbook article? In the height of summer 2023, I finally embarked on a journey to explore these gardens in person. The vague impressions from the textbook gradually transformed into exquisite architecture, vibrant greenery, and serene landscapes, allowing me to appreciate the wisdom behind ancient garden design.
In July and August of 2023, I finally fulfilled a long-cherished wish from my junior high school days and set off for Jiangnan to visit the gardens of Suzhou that I had encountered in my textbooks.
This trip was quite fulfilling. I successively visited the Jichang Garden in Wuxi, the Lingering Garden, the Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, the Ge Garden, the He Garden and the Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, as well as the Yu Garden and the Zhan Garden in Nanjing.
The words and pictures in books are undoubtedly exquisite, but only by being there in person can one truly feel the scale of the architecture, the texture of the materials and the design of the space. The plants in gardens stretch out their vibrant greenery, and the fish in ponds create lively ripples. These are all forms of vitality that cannot be touched on the pages of a book. What amazes me the most is the rockeries in gardens. Their sizes far exceed my previous imagination, and one can actually walk through and climb on them. It seems that ancient owners of gardens could truly enjoy the pleasure of "touring mountains and rivers" in their own backyards.
Although all these gardens are composed of elements such as pavilions, terraces, towers, artificial hills, ponds and small bridges, they each have their own unique style and charm, and are both aesthetically pleasing and practical. Some are not large in area, but create a maze-like interest with their winding and circuitous paths. A complete garden can be regarded as a comprehensive art form, embodying the wisdom of architecture, carpentry, sculpture, calligraphy, rockery, water management and horticulture. The ancients condensed nature and human culture here, perfectly interpreting the residential ideal of "harmony between human and nature".
Many gardens have specially designed bonsai gardens, which is in line with the original intention of garden-making - both aim to condense the yearning for nature into a small space. Those meticulously shaped trees in pots are not only miniature versions of towering trees but also carriers of imagination: you can appreciate the grace of famous trees from multiple angles, and also imagine the fun of shrinking yourself to play under the trees.
Walking in a garden, one can not only appreciate the designers' understanding of the artistic conception of landscape paintings but also sense their genuine experiences of traveling through mountains and rivers. As time goes by, people today can still resonate with the ingenious ideas of the ancients.
It is worth mentioning that the tourist flow during the summer vacation is extremely heavy. The Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou is especially popular. Only by being among the first group to enter when the garden opens in the early morning can one briefly enjoy its tranquility. The other famous gardens in Suzhou are also bustling. The stone steps have been polished smooth by time and countless footsteps - my shoes were not slip-resistant, and I nearly fell several times. However, the Slender West Lake, with its vast area, always offers secluded corners where one can momentarily have the illusion of having the entire garden to oneself.
I explored every garden thoroughly, inevitably getting dusty and sweating profusely. I'll spare you the tourist photos. Although this experience was somewhat chaotic, it added a unique memory to this cultural exploration journey.
