Watching in Motion and Observing Fixedly

   There are two ways to appreciate the Chinese garden - watching in motion and observing fixedly.

The water scene and the architectural layout of the Master of Nets Garden.

Looking into the distance from the Ji Chang Garden and enjoying the borrowing scene of the Xi Mountain.

   Observing fixedly means that visitors stop to watch the static beauty of gardens. Vantage points suitable for fixed observing are spots like halls, water pavilions, towers. Storied buildings, pavilions or terraces. These places offer vast fields of vision and the best views of gardens. When visiting in a garden, one either sits or stays to count the number of fish in the pond or enjoy the cool breeze and bright moon in the pavilion. Each pictorial beauty entering your eyes, such as shadows of flowers moving on the walls or peaks framed into windows, is worth appreciating and enjoying silently.

   Visiting routes of garden are mostly winding naturally and rolling up and down. Some are beside the water, some are located at the foot of hill and others have winding long corridors to shelter the rain and strong sunshine. Winding corridors, rolling stone- step roads or zigzag mountain paths are all good places for watching in motion and enjoying the shifting beauty of garden - each move offers visitors fresh visual surprises. In a Chinese garden, primary and supporting views are usually clearly demarcated and scenes varied, so garden builders often design a best visiting route, which connects harmoniously all those best view-watching spots and structures for rest, banqueting, holding activities and residing. Even for those relatively static scenic sights, their views will change when watching angles change. Visitors will be touched by the beauty

Providing esthetical enjoyment whether looking up or looking down.

The Summer Mountain in the Ge Garden.

The scene framed by the window looks like a landscape painting in scholar's garden.

  In the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Buddhist Incense Tower in front of the Longevity Hill towers on the hillside, occupying the commanding point of the garden. The tower will look magnificent when visitors look up. Climbing up and overlooking from the tower, visitors will then be impressed by the panoramic view of the vast lake with ripples dancing above. The Ji Xiao Mountain Villa in Yangzhou also fully made use of this witty technique. Gardeners connected the whole garden through two-floor corridor and mountain paths, which formed a three-dimensional visiting route with landscapes and structures complementing each other.

Fully Activate all Sensory Perception

  Visiting in a Chinese classical garden, visitors could not only see beautiful scenes, but also hear the agreeable singing of streams and sweet chirping of orioles and insects. Aroma of peach and plum 

The winding bridge flying across the water in Shanghai Yu Garden.

  The famed scene of "rain dropping on Japanese banana" has evolved into a rhetorical literary quotation. In days of overcast and cloudy, it will be a very special experience to savour the taste of solitude and serenity alone while listening to the silvery sound of rain dropping on the wide and big Japanese banana leaves. The Listening to Rain Hall in the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou is also related with this artistic realm. The soughing of the wind in the pines planted beside the pavilion will also make people feel a sense of vastness and tranquility. The Pine Wind Pavilion in the Humble Administrator's Garden was named after this implication. So planting pines for listening to wind and growing Japanese banana t for listening to rain become important features of Chinese garden designing.

Different Beauties in Different Seasons

The Glasses Lake in former imperial Jing Yi Garden in Beijing Fragrant Hills. This is the winter landscape in the garden.

The red wall and the old cypress trees complement each other in the Cao Xi Temple Garden in Yunnan.

   While appreciating garden scenery, one should pay attention to the change of views following the change of lights, seasons, and weathers. It is through the change of weathers that the Jia Qing Xi Yu Kuai Xue Pavilion (Fine Sunny Day, Happy Rain and Pleasant Snow Pavilion) in the Lingering Garden in Suzhou stirs feelings of visitors and stresses an optimistic life attitude. The Moon Arrives and Wind Comes Pavilion in the Master-of-Nets Garden in Suzhou would present different views of "first sun rays in the morning" and "rosy clouds at dusk" in one day. From the pavilion, one could see that views of the garden are reflected in the clear water of the pool. The poetic realm of pavilion changes following the change of weather in one day. When bright moon hangs in the sky, the moonlight, lamplight and pool water will reflect each other, displaying a beauty that can't be described by words. In different seasons, scenic views will present different beauties. Beauty that varies due to seasonal change is emphasized and strengthened. In the Ge Garden in Yangzhou, gardeners made rockery imitating the different views of mountains in four seasons, and named "Four Season Rockery." Among the top ten scenic views of Hangzhou, the first four views - "Spring comes into Su Dyke", "Dancing Lotus in the Qu Courtyard", "Autumn Moon in Peaceful Lake" and "Broken Bridge Covered with Snow" - exactly embody the beauties in four seasons.