The Chinese scholar's garden

What it is

A pond lies at the centre, edged with rock. Around it are halls, covered walkways, zigzag bridges and small pavilions with poetic names. Weathered limestone rocks, pitted with holes, stand as sculpture or are piled into miniature mountains. Walls are whitewashed and pierced by round moon gates and patterned windows that frame a bamboo or a single flowering branch. Nothing is seen all at once. The best preserved are in Suzhou, where nine gardens share a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Where it comes from

Emperors kept great hunting parks more than two thousand years ago. The smaller private garden grew up among scholars who admired landscape painting and the idea of withdrawing from public life into nature. The form reached its height under the Ming and Qing dynasties in the rich cities of the lower Yangtze. A garden maker named Ji Cheng wrote the classic manual, the Yuanye or Craft of Gardens, in the 1630s. Chinese gardens deeply influenced those of Japan and Korea.

The flowers and what they mean

Plum blossom, which flowers in the cold, stands for endurance. The orchid, modest and scented, stands for refinement. Bamboo bends and does not break. The chrysanthemum flowers in late autumn, when others have gone. Together these are called the four gentlemen. The lotus rises clean from mud and stands for purity. The tree peony stands for wealth and honour. Sweet osmanthus scents the garden in autumn, and magnolia opens on bare branches in spring.

How to take part

1. In Suzhou, go at opening time on a weekday. The famous gardens are crowded by mid morning.
2. Walk slowly and stop at each window and doorway to see what it frames.
3. Visit a smaller garden, such as the Master of the Nets, as well as a large one.
4. Go in different seasons: plum in February, peonies in April, lotus in July, osmanthus in autumn.

Good manners

• Do not climb the rockeries unless a path leads through them.
• Do not feed the fish or pick lotus pods.

The flowers

Prunus mumeThe fragrant plum blossom tree that blooms in winter across East AsiaBoat orchidA genus of long-lived orchids with boat-shaped lips, grown worldwide for their sprays of bloomsChrysanthemumAutumn-blooming flower with thousands of varieties, cherished in East Asia and beyondSacred lotusThe pink aquatic flower sacred in Asia and grown for food, worship and beautyMoutan peonyThe woody peony of China with large, showy spring flowersYulan magnoliaA white-flowered magnolia from China with a citrus scent

Also part of it, and being written: Osmanthus fragrans.

Sources and further reading

• Chinese garden on Wikipedia