Chinese Gardens

Description

China is renowned for its enchanting, tranquil gardens, designed to reflect both the charm of nature and the ancient Chinese view of life. Chinese Gardens explores the creation of classical gardens through history, discussing the theories and artistic conception behind these gardens and the development of diverse regional styles. Lou Qingxi provides a comprehensive introduction to the distinctive combination of nature, philosophy and art that is unique to Chinese gardens, complemented with full color illustrations throughout.

Author description

Lou Qingxi is Professor of Architecture at Tsinghua University. Engaged in the research and teaching of Chinese architectural theory for many years, he has published widely on the subject of ancient Chinese architecture and art.

Table of contents

Preface; 1. Landscape gardens; 2. Private gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties; 3. Magnificent imperial gardens; 4. Masters of garden design and theories of garden creation; 5. Beauty and symbolism in Chinese gardens; Appendix: chronological table of Chinese dynasties.