The Layout of Zhanyuan Garden

Zhang Yang

Associate researcher at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After graduating from the Astronomy Department of Nanjing University in 1992， he worked at the Purple Mountain Observatory for many years in scientific research and then engaged in popular science education. He is currently the Deputy Director of the Popularization Committee of the Chinese Astronomical Society and the Chairman of the Nanjing Amateur Astronomers Association.

The series of “Symbols of Jiangsu -- Pocketbook” selects the representative and symbolic cultural elements of Jiangsu， interpreting the implications of history and reality， highlighting the cultural connotations of Jiangsu， expanding the cultural influence of Jiangsu， and forming the cultural brand of Jiangsu through richly illustrated， easy-to-understand books in English and Chinese. These series have gained positive social effects， won the bronze medal of the National Outstanding Art Book Golden Bull Cup， and have been awarded the “Good Books of Jiangsu” and the Excellent Influential Publishing Book Award many times.

Symbols of Jiangsu -- Pocketbook (Series 7)

Zhang Yang， Zeng Jun， Pan Binbin and others

Jiangsu Phoenix Art Publishing House

December 2021

35.00 (CNY)

Chinese classical gardens first emerged in the Shang and Zhou dynasties， originally for the exclusive enjoyment of the emperors. It was not until the Western Han Dynasty that there were private gardens. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties， the theme of the gardens turned to natural landscapes， which flourished in the Tang and Song dynasties and reached their peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties， forming a unique style， pursuing the concept that “though created by human， they represent nature.” With their unique styles and sophisticated artistic attainments， Chinese classical gardens are distinguished worldwide， among which Jiangnan gardens， the gardens south of the Yangtze River， are the elites.

Zhanyuan Garden is now the location of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum (hereinafter referred to as Taiping Museum)， whose four boundaries are bounded by Zhanyuan Road in the south， Jiaofuying in the north， Jiaofu Lane in the east， and Zhonghua Road in the west. It is in the core of the Qinhuai scenic area of Confucius Temple， with a length of 173 meters from north to south and a width of 145 meters from east to west， and a total area of about 24，500 square meters， with a structure area of 9，600 square meters and garden area of 15，500 square meters. As a typical representative of ancient Jinling gardens， Zhanyuan Garden’s layout fully embodies the notion of “embrace the landscape and get a great deal of freedom” as the highest realm. The most distinctive feature of the garden is the rocks， the mountains are the main feature， and the water is the supplement， among which the buildings are dotted， and the landscape gradually unfolds in depth.

Zhanyuan Garden is mainly divided into the east and west areas.

The ancient hall in the east area is the historical exhibition hall of the Taiping Museum. The south gate， the main entrance of Zhanyuan Garden today， is also located in the garden’s southeast corner. On each side of the gate stands a lion stone carving. The pair of stone lions is of evident Ming Dynasty style and having undergone centuries of vicissitudes， seem to be telling people the long history of Zhanyuan Garden. Looking up， you can see the broad red gate embedded with rows of golden knocker nails， whose vertical and seven horizontal columns demonstrate the grandeur of a royal residence second only to the Royal Court.

When Mr. Liu Dunzhen renovated Zhanyuan in the 1950s， he specifically designed a new set of three successive entrances to the garden in the middle of the south wall of today’s Zhanyuan Garden. They are used to restrain the visitor’s view and sense of scale， so visitors have a buffer after entering the park and will not immediately see the whole garden.

After stepping into the small courtyard， visitors are led to the northwest through curving corridor， through Magnolia Yard， Begonia Yard， and Coolest Pavilion， arriving at the west half pavilion of the Flower Basket Hall in Fragrans Yard， where the landscape space gradually increases. After several turns， the full view of the South Rockery and Silence Hall can finally be seen， fully embodying the characteristic of “wanting to raise first to suppress” in Jiangnan gardens. The long corridors play a critical role as a connection in Zhanyuan， along which the small pavillions and courtyards are scattered in the form of units. Silence Hall is the leading architecture of the south part of Zhanyuan Garden， while to its east is the Potted Plant Yard， being relatively open with mainly lawn greenery. The South Rockery， which contains waterfalls and water surfaces， together with the West Stream， which has the appearance of a valley stream and connects north and south， constitutes the two major water surfaces that echo each other from north to south. Meanwhile， Yilan Pavilion， Yanhui Pavilion， Breeze Hall， Flower Basket Hall， Begonia Yard， Fan Pavilion， Wei Pavilion， Fish Watching Pavilion， and other constructions are dotted in the four directions. They are connected by pavilions and curved galleries with several overlapping corridors， winding forward along the water surface and through the slope， starting from the southernmost Begonia Yard， extending northward to the North Garden， making the sequence of viewing progressive and orderly.

The steep and majestic North Rockery， the winding dragon-like West Rockery， and the lofty and imposing South Rockery， each with its own style， form the main scenery of Zhanyuan Garden. It can be said that “thousands of years of sceneries are concentrated among the stacks of fantastic rocks and pools of blue water.” The North Rockery is constructed with variable Taihu stones. It retains the rockery-piling technique from the Ming Dynasty of “using a small block stone to represent a mountain and a small pool of water to represent a lake.” The Riverside Rockery， a remnant of the Ming Dynasty， is large in size and staggered in height， and divided into upper and lower levels. The composition of the North Rockery and its rock-piling techniques are masterpieces. There are stirrups around the rockery， bridges over the valleys， caves in the hills， and platforms at the top of the peaks. The West Rockery is located on the west side of Zhanyuan Garden， mainly composed of soil and surrounded by Taihu stones， making the stones seem to grow out of the soil. The rockery is covered with bamboo and trees， showing lush greenery， so it is interesting for visitors to wade through and explore. At the very top of the West Rockery， is Fan Pavilion shaped like a folding fan. This is a miraculous copper pavilion when the charcoal fire is set in winter， despite the severe cold outside. Inside the pavilion， it is as warm as spring without the slightest chill， which is unique among Chinese gardens. The South Rockery is a combination of cliffs， caves， stirrups， waterside rocks， stepping stones， water caves， and waterfalls， all clearly prioritized and carefully organized， containing myriads of changes and connotations， making it a classic work of contemporary Chinese garden art， and an heirloom of Professor Liu Dunzhen’s years of careful design. The method of the layout of water in Zhanyuan Garden is mainly based on gathering and then supplemented by dividing. Small bridges and stepping stones divide the water surface into different sizes of interconnected pools. The north pool is open and tranquil， the south pool is small and serene， and the two are connected by a small stream， bringing about a feeling of deep and hidden seclusion. The main concept of Zhanyuan’s plant arrangement is to use less to achieve more and to create a landscape with meaning， making the various plants present different scenes in all seasons.

The north part of the garden is dominated by water and supplemented by a rockery. Lotus Leaf Pond， the pond of the northern garden， is located in its center， appearing long and narrow， long from east to west and narrow from north to south. Around the pond， architecture， pavilions， and corridors are arranged. The layout of the northern garden， centered around the Lotus Leaf Pond and surrounded by architecture， creates a relatively independent， tranquil， and varied spatial environment. The northern garden has a gate on the west side adjacent to Zhonghua Road and an east side gate adjacent to Jiaofu Lane， which are the west gate and east gate， respectively. The south and north parts of the garden are connected naturally by a long corridor; unless otherwise specified， visitors will not be able to feel the 50-year gap between the construction of the south and the north.