Is Chinese classical gardens facing the end of the road?

It is rare to see the shadow of the tradition that people theoretically hope to inherit in contemporary architecture. If you rigidly graft the aesthetic concepts of classical gardens onto the tree of contemporary architecture, weird hybrids that are neither fish nor fowl will definitely appear. Below, Zhongda Consulting will take you to see the problems faced by Chinese classical gardens.

A friend’s child is studying garden planning at a famous forestry university in China, and we got together during the holidays to chat about gardening.

Sun: After graduation, are you looking for a job or taking the postgraduate entrance examination? Do you want to go abroad?

Student: It’s hard to find a job, and you can’t pass the postgraduate entrance examination in foreign languages. If you want to continue studying garden planning, you can go abroad. It’s not that interesting. Chinese gardens have a very high status in the world.

Sun: Not a Chinese garden, but a Chinese classical garden. Chinese classical gardens have had a glorious history, but China's modern gardens are still in their infancy and are still lagging behind many developed countries. The splendor of Chinese classical gardens is history and will become a thing of the past.

Student: Chinese classical gardens have made great achievements. These achievements must be inherited and carried forward. In modern landscape design, we must inherit the essence of traditional culture and innovate while inheriting.

Sun: Is this how you understand it?

Student: This is the teacher’s theory, so it should be like this. What do you think?

Sun: “In The argument of "inheritance and innovation" is the most tenable view. It is applicable to Chinese culture and academic attitudes in any field. This view will not be attacked because it looks very philosophical and It's very moderate, especially in line with Chinese people's psychology. In my opinion, this statement is the most uninsightful statement and an irresponsible statement. The Chinese love to play this set of mean tricks. Chinese classical gardens have had exquisite skills in history. Classical gardens have reached the pinnacle. Classical gardens are a product of history and a typical expression of culture in a feudal autocratic society. They serve a very small number of people (nobles). It is positioned for the feudal and corrupt psychological needs. The current analysis of Chinese classical gardens should be observed from a historical perspective. Unfortunately, there are too few things that classical gardens can learn from for modern gardens. Some concepts are exactly opposite to the modern living environment and survival concepts.

Classical gardens today have more archaeological value, and Chinese classical gardens have reached a dead end.

Student: Can’t modern garden design inherit innovation from classical gardens?

Sun: My attitude may be a bit extreme, if analyzed philosophically, coupled with conservative national narcissism Psychologically, my views will certainly be criticized. But I think we need to maintain a non-philosophical extreme consciousness in academics, so that we can dare to think and act and create. The ancients said it well, "If you don't destroy it, you won't establish it." I am most opposed to academic moderation.

Student: Chinese classical gardens have its special aesthetic value and have a very high academic status in the field of gardening. The biggest difference between modern landscape gardens and modern architecture is that modern landscape gardens innovate to meet the needs of the spirit of the times while maintaining the inheritance of classical gardens.

Sun: I have done some fieldwork in Shanghai, Dalian, Qingdao, and Shenzhen, and there are very few successful landscape garden designs. Most of the so-called landscape garden designs are very absurd and cannot "represent advanced culture". They are all situational designs dominated by backward cultural psychology. They are messy, complicated and trivial, especially those so-called works that draw on and inherit traditional gardens. See It looked nondescript, like a man wearing a homespun shirt with a double-breasted coat, brand-name travel shoes on his feet, and dyed yellow hair sticking up on his head. Looks silly.

Student: These situations are indeed common. Why can’t we always solve the problems of inheritance and innovation?

Sun: Lack of critical spirit. With the rapid development of modern civilization, our living environment (material and spiritual) today has undergone profound changes. People's material and spiritual needs today are essentially different from those in the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China. The fundamentals of life style The transformation has triggered changes in people's physical and psychological needs. The closed psychology of classical garden landscapes has resulted in small and crowded garden spaces, appreciating small views, playing with details, trivial and delicate, and the individualistic possession psychology of boudoir backyards, which is completely contrary to modern public open spaces and open lifestyles. At the same time, more importantly, garden design and architecture are integrated and unified styles. Chinese classical gardens were an integral part of the buildings at that time. In other words, Chinese traditional architecture and classical gardens are very coordinated. The building itself is the landscape, and there are buildings in the landscape, blending seamlessly with each other, reaching a very perfect situation. However, contemporary Chinese architecture has been basically completely westernized, and contemporary architectural styles are no longer the same as traditional Chinese architecture. There have been huge changes in volume, materials, aesthetic perspectives and psychological needs. It is rare to see the shadow of the tradition that people theoretically hope to inherit in contemporary architecture. If you rigidly graft the aesthetic concepts of classical gardens onto the tree of contemporary architecture, weird hybrids that are neither fish nor fowl will definitely appear.

Student: Those of us who study garden planning are more exposed to Chinese classical gardens, because Chinese classical gardens form a complete system from cultural background to design methods, and they are very classic. Contemporary landscape design lacks systematic theoretical support and practical summary.

Sun: Well, the times have provided you with the opportunity for academic revolution. Indeed, Chinese classical gardens have almost reached the ultimate and classic level, reflecting the high development of our traditional civilization. You have already carried a heavy baggage. It is important to learn to take off the baggage and look at everything in a contemporary spirit.

Student: From the perspective of the students I have contacted, the basic attitude is that modern landscape gardens can only innovate on the basis of comprehensively absorbing and inheriting the achievements of classical gardens.

Sun: I do not specialize in gardens. From the perspective of my research, it is just an understanding of history. The value of classical gardens is more of archaeological significance. "Comprehensive absorption and inheritance" is a moderate attitude that many people have towards traditional culture. It is also a conceptual cliché and may even be misleading. The study of classical gardens is necessary, from which we can understand the history, the causes and brilliance of classical gardens, and understand many spiritual connotations. But you must learn to criticize. What was excellent in the past may not be applicable to the present. It was produced in a specific historical period. I always feel that after farmers have harvesters, there is no need to keep the method of arguing between two cows. This topic is huge and cannot be explained clearly in one or two sentences. It may be more important to pay more attention to your inner feelings and creation.

For more information about engineering/service/purchasing tender document writing and production to improve the bid winning rate, you can click on the official website customer service at the bottom for free consultation: /#/?source=bdzd