Chinese gardens Voyage Tips and guide

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Chinese gardens (園林/园林 yuán lín) have traditionally been popular among the scholar class to study and contemplate the meaning of life, and these were often built as part of the mansions of the Chinese royalty, court officials and other rich Chinese. These began to appear outside China with waves of Chinese emigration starting in the late 19th century, though China is of course the place to be if you want to view of the most historically significant examples.

Chinese gardens are usually designed based on traditional Chinese geomancy, and to evoke contemplation of traditional Chinese philosophical concepts. This is usually done through a combination of water features and rocks to mimic natural landscapes. Chinese gardens also include traditional pavillions where the owner could entertain guests with tea, and perhaps listen to a guqin performance while contemplating philosophy.

Chinese gardens can be broadly divided into four different styles; Northern Imperial gardens built for the Emperor and his family in what is today Beijing and Hebei, Jiangnan gardens from what is today Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, Lingnan gardens from the Pearl River Delta area of Guangdong, and Bashu gardens from what is today Sichuan and Chongqing.

As China's capital during the most recent Ming and Qing Dynasties, Beijing is home to numerous imperial gardens that were used by the emperor and various other members of the royal family. One of the more notable ones in Zhongnanhai adjacent to the Forbidden City, which today is the main seat of power of the Chinese government and hence, not accessible to tourists.

• 39.9975116.26891 Summer Palace — perhaps the most famous surviving imperial garden in China, and one of China's Four Great Gardnes a favourite retreat for Empress Dowager Cixi, who rendered two emperors puppets while she held actual power towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. Most notably, she had diverted funds intended for modernising the Chinese navy to renovating the Summer Palace instead. Today, the Summer Palace is one of Beijing's main tourist attractions, and its defining feature is a marble boat on the lake.

• 40.9875117.93752 Chengde Mountain Resort — a favourite summer retreat of China's emperors during imperial times to escape the heat of the lowlands, and one of China's Four Great Gardens

• 31.229167121.48753 Yuyuan Garden — built during the Ming Dynasty in the traditional Jiangnan architectural style, and today one of Shanghai's main tourist attractions.

Suzhou is the most famous city for traditional Chinese gardens, with nine of its distinctive Jiangnan-style gardens being inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the collective name "Classical Gardens of Suzhou".

• 31.325833120.6244444 Humble Administrator's Garden — the largest and best known of Suzhou's classical Chinese gardens, and one of China's Four Great Gardens
• 31.317528120.5881115 Lingering Garden — one of China's Four Great Gardens
• 31.300167120.6296946 Master of the Nets Garden
• 31.313167120.60897 Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
• 31.318306120.6345288 Couple's Retreat Garden
• 31.31525120.6047229 Garden of Cultivation
• 31.296547120.62151710 Great Wave Pavilion
• 31.323222120.62505611 Lion Grove Garden
• 31.159829120.71612312 Retreat & Reflection Garden

• 31.582579120.26631313 Jichang Garden

Among the most representative examples of Lingnan gardens are what is known as the Four Famous Gardens of Guangdong, namely Keyuan Garden in Dongguan, Liang's Garden in Foshan, Yuyin Mountain Villa in the Panyu district of Guangzhou, and the Qinghui Garden in Shunde.

• 23.043035113.74401914 Keyuan Garden

• 23.03858113.1125715 Liang's Garden

• 23.01404113.3898916 Yuyin Mountain Villa

• 22.835694113.25576417 Qinghui Garden

• 30.66217104.0263318 Du Fu Thatched Cottage — said to be the residence of the famed Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu during his most creative period, set within a nice landscaped garden that has been maintained by generations of scholars. The original cottage no longer stands, having decayed over the years and a replica stands on the site today.

• 30.630231103.6722319 Yanhuachi — said to be the residence of the famed Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu during his most creative period, set within a nice landscaped garden that has been maintained by generations of scholars. The original cottage no longer stands, having decayed over the years and a replica stands on the site today.

• 22.3391114.20520 Nan Lian Garden — located next to the Chi Lin Nunnery, it is built in a style reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty just like the nunnery.

• 1.33864103.730011 Chinese Garden.   — designed by a Taiwanese architect, incorporating traditional Chinese architecture with features from Singapore's natural environment.

• -33.8767151.20212 Chinese Garden of Friendship, Darling Harbour, New South Wales. Modelled on the typical private gardens of the Ming Dynasty, the garden offers an insight into Chinese heritage and culture. A centrepiece of the gardens is the Dragon Wall, guarded by two imperial dragons, with the brown dragon representing Guangdong and the blue dragon New South Wales, playing with the pearl of friendship.  

• 34.128377-118.1163983 The Huntington Chinese Garden.  — inspired by the classical gardens of Suzhou.

• Japanese gardens