Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden

In China, garden design developed in tandem with residential architecture. Whether set within palaces, country estates, or urban homes, gardens were viewed as both an extension of domestic space and an escape from it. They offered respite from familial and professional duties and were a favored site for literary gatherings, solitary study, and other leisure activities. Traditional Chinese residences were constructed around courtyards, which were ideal locations for plants, trees, and rocks of interesting shapes—the necessary ingredients for a garden. As residential gardens flourished in urban centers during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, they were taken out of courtyards and placed in areas adjacent to main living areas. As a result, urban gardens became larger and more complex. In turn, the layout of city gardens drew renewed inspiration from the sprawling rustic gardens found in country estates of the wealthy. An example of a country estate garden is seen in the Ming dynasty painting Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden. The scene portrays a legendary party of erudite gentlemen including scholars, artists, calligraphers, imperial relatives, and a Buddhist monk. The rural location of the garden is clear; the distant mountains and natural expanses unbounded by walls or fences indicate that the setting is not an urban garden. Here, the distinction between a curated garden and untrammeled nature is blurred. The attendees of the gathering are placed in the middle of a natural landscape. Only the large tables, chairs, and antique objects imply the setting should be interpreted as a garden. Urban gardens presented particular design challenges in part due to the spatial constraints of city life. As a result, a carefully encoded vision of nature was created. Garden designers chose plantings not merely for their visual appeal but also to convey complex symbolic programs based on a particular plant, tree, or flower’s association with specific human qualities or emotions.