Belozerova V.G. The Art of Chinese Gardens: Theory and Practice of the Myng Dinasty

Abstract: The subject of the research is the theory and practice of the gardening art of China during the period of the Myng Dynasty (1368-1644) when the gardening tradition reached the height of its development. The object of the research is the treatise 'Yuan e' ('Gardening') written by a famous practical and theoretical expert in gardening Ji Cheng (1582-1642?) as well as an essay 'Jan u Ji' ('About Things that Delight our Eye') written by a well-known writer Wen Zhensheng (1585-1645). The purpose of the research is to systematize artistic devices and analyze artistic principles which have predetermined the national singularity of the phenomenon of Chinese gardens. The art studies methodology was completed with the methods of semiotics, hermeneutics and cultural analysis. The author gives extracts from the aforesaid treatises in her own translation and offers new interpretations of the key terms there. Her analysis of the gardening tradition once again proves the unity of theory and practice that is so typical for Chinese art in general. The novelty of the results is caused by the fact that the author clarifies the content of theoretical postulates about Human having the right to actively transform Nature through the art of landscape design which creates prospects for better understanding of the status and role of Human in the traditional Chinese culture in general. 

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