Chen Congzhou

Chen Congzhou (1918–2000), originally named Yuwen, was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, born in Hangzhou. A scholar of ancient architecture and garden art and a professor at Tongji University, he devoted his life to the study of classical Chinese gardens and historic buildings. His works include On Gardens, Suzhou Gardens, and Yangzhou Gardens; he led the restoration of Yu Garden and Shuihui Garden and designed the Ming Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and is known as the father of modern Chinese garden studies. The works by him in this catalogue span scholarly garden writing and prose collections. Titles such as the Dictionary of Chinese Garden Appreciation and the seven-volume Chen Congzhou on Gardens set out garden knowledge and appreciation, while collections such as Zishi Yumo, Shiyuan Ji, and Chuntai Ji record people and events and discuss art and scenery in an elegant style, joining garden theory with literati sensibility. His writing is thus both scholarly and highly readable, and is often classified under architecture, design, culture, and classic works.