Die kaiserlichen Gärten waren elegante Ressorts für alle Formen der Unterhaltung, für die Jagd und die Ausübung diverser Sportarten. Die rasanten Veränderungen in der chinesischen Gesellschaft in Wirtschaft und Kunst - und hier besonders in der Landschaftsmalerei - seit der Wei, der Jin und den Nord und Süd Dynastien bis zu der Sui und Tang Dynastie, gaben gewaltige Impulse für die Verfeinerung und Vervollkommnung der kaiserlichen Gärten. Aufwendige Techniken zur Wasserführung - auch durch Berge - ,die Anlage von künstlichen Seen und Hügeln ergeben sich ständig verändernde künstliche Welten. Die Vorliebe für seltsam geformte Felsen führte schließlich auch zur Anlage von künstlerischen Steingärten.
The imperial gardens were elegant resorts for all forms of entertainment. Rapid developments in Chinese society, the economy and the arts lent great impetus to the construction of elaborate and elegant imperial parks. The technical virtuosity of the waterways and a preference for exotically formed rockeries produced enchanting and constantly changing man-made worlds. The genre reached its zenith with the Yuanmingyuan garden, generally accepted as one of the finest of its kind ever created in China.
Table of contents:
- Photographs: Beihai; Zhonghai-Nanhai; Summer Palace; Yuanmingyuan Garden; Summer Resort at Chengde. - Text: The Embryonic Form and Later Development of Chinese Gardens. A Gradual Metamorphosis from Primitive Hunting Grounds to Exquisite Resorts for Enjoyment.- The Period of Ultimate Splendour. The Quing Dynasty Gardens, Culmination of Imperial Garden Architecture.- Appendix.- Notes to Photographs.- Maps.
The imperial gardens were elegant resorts for all forms of entertainment. Rapid developments in Chinese society, the economy and the arts lent great impetus to the construction of elaborate and elegant imperial parks. The technical virtuosity of the waterways and a preference for exotically formed rockeries produced enchanting and constantly changing man-made worlds. The genre reached its zenith with the Yuanmingyuan garden, generally accepted as one of the finest of its kind ever created in China.
Table of contents:
- Photographs: Beihai; Zhonghai-Nanhai; Summer Palace; Yuanmingyuan Garden; Summer Resort at Chengde. - Text: The Embryonic Form and Later Development of Chinese Gardens. A Gradual Metamorphosis from Primitive Hunting Grounds to Exquisite Resorts for Enjoyment.- The Period of Ultimate Splendour. The Quing Dynasty Gardens, Culmination of Imperial Garden Architecture.- Appendix.- Notes to Photographs.- Maps.