Classical gardens have been a local obsession in Suzhou for centuries, and a
set of distinctive design principles lie behind the city's elegant gardens.
Suzhou's gardens' differ quite dramatically from many gardens in the West - they
are neither like the grand geometric gardens of France, nor the rambling,
semi-natural gardens of England and America. And unlike Western gardens, flower
beds and statues are rarely seen. Instead, Suzhou classical gardens combine
trees and shrubs with ponds, buildings, and rocks to create a array of scenes
meant to evoke the atmosphere of nature.
One major difference between
Suzhou gardens and those in the West major role that walls, windows, and
doorways play in classical gardens. They divide the gardens into different
sections, creating a sense of surprise and contrast, and frame certain features.
Unlike some Western gardens where the entire garden unfolds before ones eyes,
Suzhou gardens are designed around winding paths that let visitors slowly
uncover the garden. This winding layout is designed create depth and many layers
which unfold as you move through the landscape. To add depth, garden designers
often obstruct the entrance by placing a hill, building, or a grove of trees at
the entrance to hide what is inside.
Suzhou's gardens also emphasize on
viewpoints and lines of sight. They create mood, distinguish the different
sections, and define interesting views of the garden. The gardens were laid out
so that each section has several places which provide the most striking views.
Often these are the buildings and pavilions which were originally built for
activities like entertaining, reading, or drinking tea. In others, a bridge or a
crest of a small hill is placed to provide the best view. These viewpoints are
chosen to accentuate the impression the garden make on the visitor - whether of
a certain type of tree, a feeling of openness, a view over an expanse of water,
or the feeling of being in a high or low place. In addition, the paths through
the gardens are laid out to create interesting scenes. Oddly shaped doors and
windows, narrow passages between rocks, and thick groves of bamboo are used to
shape the views which visitors experience.
The whitewashed walls of Suzhou's gardens accentuate another of their key
features - contrast. Trees, bushes, rocks, water, and architecture are arranged
so to create interesting contrasts. These contrasts highlight each element's
distinctive feature, and provoke viewers to notice their unique beauty. For
example, one Suzhou garden features a small , white walled room. Along one wall,
several small bamboos flank a gnarled rock. The lush green leaves of the bamboo
contrast with the whorls of the gray rock, the white wall making a neutral
background. In the middle of the courtyard stand two small plum trees, and the
floor is tiled with an abstract pattern inspired by plum blossoms. These
carefully planned contrasts and pairings bring out the beauty of each of the
garden's elements and create striking scenes.
Almost all Suzhou classical gardens incorporate oddly shaped, weathered
rocks. Using these rocks in gardens first became popular over 1,000 years ago,
in the Tang and Song dynasties. Scholar-officials soon became connoisseurs of
these rocks, admiring the way their unique shapes and interesting textures
seemed to express distinctive personalities. Scholars also used these rocks to
recreate the mood of the mountain scenery in Chinese landscape painting. In
addition to being interesting eye candy, larger groups of rocks are arranged so
they can be climbed for views over the garden, or they can be placed to break up
lines of sight. When seen from ground level they provide contrast with trees and
plants. Sometimes larger rocks are paired with bushes or plants to evoke a
mountain landscape. The finest rocks are chosen to stand alone for visitors to
admire. Classical scholars believed that the finest rocks were tall and slender,
with a top larger than their base, many holes and crevices, and lines and
grooves to give an ancient and weathered appearance. But the most importantly
they should be both beautiful and unique. The twists and whorls of a weathered
rock can be just as fascinating as beautiful piece of
sculpture.
