An Outline of Classical Gardens

Name: An Outline of Classical Gardens
ISBN: 9787559496652

夏昌世 / Phoenix Space (Tianjin Fenghuang Space Culture Media Co., Ltd.)Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaJun 2026

4.6

Word count: 73K words
Chapters: 11
ISBN: 9787559496652

Report an error Find this book

Summary

Chinese classical gardens are a garden art system with high artistic achievement and unique style, and Suzhou classical gardens are the culmination of Chinese classical gardens. This book is a work on classical garden research by Academician Liu Dunzhen, based on years of in-depth investigation and measurement of Suzhou gardens, organized and published over many years. It is a classic work on Suzhou gardens and an important work in Chinese architectural history.

The book is divided into two chapters: general discussion and examples. The general discussion includes six parts: introduction, layout, water management, rockery, architecture, and plants. The examples chapter details 15 typical Suzhou gardens and, through on-site measurement, carefully draws more than 300 ink-line drawings. Some of these gardens have since been destroyed, so the photographs and survey drawings recorded in this book are precious works for studying those gardens.

Editor's review

This is a book that requires slow reading. Its foundation is field investigation and measurement: the author surveyed Suzhou gardens one by one, dividing the discussion into six topics—layout, water management, rockery, architecture, and plants—and using fifteen typical gardens as examples with more than three hundred hand-drawn ink-line drawings. The weight of these survey drawings lies in the fact that some gardens were later destroyed, so the photographs and drawings in the book have become important evidence for studying them. The benefit of reading lies not in obtaining ready-made appreciation conclusions but in re-examining the spatial relationships of gardens through measurement and drawings—where space opens and closes, where views are borrowed, how water routes run. The text is rather academic, and the plates are information-dense, suitable for readers willing to examine drawings closely. For ordinary tourists, it does not directly provide touring guides, but carrying it while touring gardens reveals many things usually overlooked.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Architecture and garden students and researchers needing classic survey materials
Enthusiasts with deep interest in Chinese classical gardens willing to read drawings closely
Practitioners in garden design or historic building restoration needing spatial case references
Those planning in-depth tours of Suzhou gardens who want to view gardens with drawings

Not a good fit for

Ordinary tourists only seeking touring routes and photo spots
Leisure readers expecting light essay-style garden prose
Readers without architectural drawing basics who find ink-line drawings hard to enter

Reading tips

Read the six parts of the general discussion first to build a framework, then choose familiar gardens for the examples to lower the entry difficulty.
Keep a sheet of paper to trace plan relationships against the ink-line drawings; this makes layout easier to understand than reading text alone.
Before touring Suzhou, read the corresponding examples, locate positions on site according to the drawings, and review the drawings afterward.
Do not read it all at once; read by topic in installments, each time focusing on one angle such as layout or water management.

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

版权信息
第一章造园说往概略
第二章园林的类型
第三章园林布局
第四章景物与视觉及空间过渡
第五章设景组景的意匠
第六章南北造园风格及其特点
第七章《园冶》及南巡对造园的影响
第八章南巡与仿制各园
附录中国古代造园与组景
出版说明

FAQ

Can I understand this book without an architecture background?

It can be read, but patience is needed. The textual discussion in the general section is relatively accessible; the examples rely on ink-line drawings, which beginners without drafting basics may find difficult at first. It is advisable to start with the textual discussion, then gradually examine spatial relationships against the drawings, using basic plan-reading knowledge as needed.

Why are the survey drawings in the book important?

These drawings come from on-site measurement and record the layout, architecture, and water system relationships of the gardens. Some gardens were later destroyed, so the photographs and survey drawings preserved in the book have become important materials for studying them, valuable to both researchers and designers.

Is this book suitable to read before touring Suzhou gardens?

Yes, but selectively. The book is not a touring guide, and reading it straight through may cause information overload. It is advisable to read the general discussion first to establish observation angles, then choose the examples corresponding to gardens you plan to visit and compare them on site, revealing spatial treatments usually overlooked.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

夏昌世 Author

Public information about Xia Changshi is quite limited: his birth and death years, native place, education and professional career are not recorded in reliable public sources, and the only work known to be his is the book An Outline of Classical Gardens. The book belongs to the field of design and discusses the gardening techniques, spatial organization and aesthetic sensibilities of classical Chinese gardens, making it one of the reference works for understanding traditional garden design. Judging from its subject matter, Xia Changshi's writing tends to summarize garden practice and building experience, in a plain and well-organized style with little empty lyricism. Since only one of his works is included here, details of his life and intellectual background await further material; readers may begin with this book to appreciate how he observed gardens and interpreted design.

Phoenix Space (Tianjin Fenghuang Space Culture Media Co., Ltd.) Author

Phoenix Space, or Phoenix Space (Tianjin) Culture Media Co., Ltd., is a state-controlled publishing institution established in Tianjin by Phoenix Publishing & Media Group. Public information about the organization is limited, but its more than twenty-three published works show a sustained focus on art and design, traditional culture, lifestyle aesthetics, and health-related books, with a style that combines practicality and visual refinement. Its titles range from studies of classical gardens such as those of Suzhou and regional works on Lingnan gardens to editions of calligraphic classics by Ouyang Xun, Wang Xizhi, and the Cao Quan Stele, as well as an art album on Alphonse Mucha. These publications serve both design professionals and general readers, reflecting a continuing interest in the connection between traditional aesthetics and contemporary design. Some rights have been exported to overseas markets.