Chinese Gardens
China was one of the first countries to create garden art. The art of gardening can be traced back over 3,000 years to the Yin and Zhou dynasties, during which people's aesthetic conceptualization of mountains and waters promoted the emergence and development of classical gardens in China.
Over the centuries, Chinese gardens have gradually developed their unique characteristics and diverse regional styles, driven by the development of society and culture and people's pursuit of an ideal home. Chinese gardens can be divided on a regional basis into northern, southern, Lingnan, and Sichuan gardens. Northern gardens, mostly royal, are characterized by grand scale, majestic architecture, gorgeous colors, and elegant style, with typical examples including the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan), the Summer Palace, and the Chengde Mountain Resort. Southern gardens, usually smaller in size, emphasize flexible use of gardening techniques to showcase the beauty of the world in a small area, such as the Lingering Garden and the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou. Lingnan gardens, influenced by Western architectural culture, often adopt Roman-style arches and Baroque column heads in their layout and components. Well-known examples include the Qinghui Garden in Shunde and the Keyuan Garden in Dongguan. Sichuan gardens, simple in style, often incorporate pas- toral scenery. Some famous gardens commemorate historical celebrities, such as the Du Fu Thatched Cottage and the Wuhou Shrine in Chengdu.
中国园林
中国是世界园林艺术起源最早的国家之一。园林艺术最早可以追溯到3000多年前的殷周时期，人们山水审美观念的确立，促进中国古典园林的产生和发展。
历史上，中国园林伴随着社会文化的发展及人们对理想家园的追求而逐步成熟，形成独具特色的园林体系和异彩纷呈的地域风格。按照地域，中国园林主要分为北方园林、江南园林、岭南园林和蜀中园林等。北方园林主要是皇家园林，规模宏大，建筑庄严，色彩华丽，风格雍容华贵，典型代表有圆明园、颐和园、承德避暑山庄等。江南园林一般面积不大，注重灵活运用造园手法，在小范围内表现大千世界的美景，如苏州留园、拙政园等。岭南园林受西方建筑文化的影响，布局形式和局部构件常采用罗马式的拱形门窗和巴洛克的柱头，比较著名的有顺德清晖园、东莞可园等。蜀中园林风格古朴，常将田园之景移至园内，一些名园大多用于纪念历史名人，如成都杜甫草堂、武侯祠等。
