The Garden

Chen HengqingNanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.1

Word count: 895 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In the prosperous days of my hometown, there were still several gardens, such as the Chen family garden at Xiao Yu He, the Tian family garden at Gaojiazhuang, and the Guo family garden outside the North Gate. I visited them several times in my youth; the terraces, pavilions, ponds, and kiosks were laid out with method. After the Nian Rebellion of Xianfeng Xinyou, the great households declined, the gardens fell into ruin, and only the West Garden remained. The garden still had an owner, and its gate was opened daily without forbidding visitors, so it could well be called a public park. When visitors came, the gardener prepared tea, and I gave a small sum for tea money; he dared not ask for more, by the master's instruction. Having retired with nothing to do, I often went there to pass the time, and so I have recorded its fine features in detail. The garden is about two li southeast of the city, built by the late local worthy Magistrate Han Litang.

Editor's review

Garden is Chen Hengqing's account of a garden, centered on the rise and decline of gardens in his home region. The book begins with the Chen, Tian, and Guo family gardens he visited in his youth, describing the old scene of terraces, pavilions, ponds, and kiosks "laid out with method"; then the tone shifts to describe how, after the Nian Rebellion of Xianfeng Xinyou, the great households declined and the gardens fell into ruin, leaving only the West Garden, whose gate was opened daily without forbidding visitors, making it almost equivalent to a public park. Having retired with nothing to do, the author often went there to pass the time, and so recorded its fine features in detail, noting that the garden was built by the local worthy Magistrate Han Litang. The prose is concise and carries the unhurried air of traditional notes; its focus is not on extensive textual research but on preserving the memory of a garden's rise and fall from a first-hand perspective. Details such as the gardener preparing tea and collecting a small tea fee also allow readers to glimpse how gardens of the time operated as open places for visiting. The book is suitable for readers interested in garden culture, local anecdotes, and Qing dynasty note-style writing; it can serve both as supplementary material for garden records and as an essayistic piece of local memory to be savored.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in traditional garden culture and the rise and decline of local gardens
Readers who enjoy Qing dynasty notes and nostalgic essayistic prose
Cultural-historical enthusiasts concerned with local documents and local anecdotes
Readers who wish to understand how ancients visited gardens through everyday details

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic garden theory or treatises on garden-making techniques
Readers who prefer tightly plotted, strongly narrative works

Reading tips

First read the opening overview of several gardens, then follow the author's footsteps through the West Garden section to appreciate the contrast between flourishing and decline
Read alongside local gazetteers or garden pictorial records to help reconstruct the spatial layout of the terraces, pavilions, ponds, and kiosks in the book
Note details such as the gardener preparing tea and the small tea fee to understand how gardens were opened and managed at the time

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
花园

FAQ

Is the "public park" described in the book the same as today's parks?

The West Garden in the book "opened its gate daily without forbidding visitors," and visitors had tea prepared by the gardener and paid a small tea fee; in nature it was close to a private garden open to the public, not entirely the same as today's city parks built and managed by the government. It was more like a garden opened by the master's instruction with a semi-public character, and readers may note this distinction.

Which garden does the book mainly describe?

The book first recalls several old gardens—the Chen, Tian, and Guo family gardens—noting that he visited them in his youth and that they were laid out with method, then explains that after the turmoil the gardens fell into ruin and only the West Garden remained. The one the author often visited after retirement and recorded in detail is precisely the West Garden, about two li southeast of the city, built by the local worthy Magistrate Han Litang.

Can I read this book without professional knowledge of gardens?

Yes. This book is not a technical treatise on garden-making but a first-hand account of a garden; the prose is concise and leans toward the note style, entirely accessible to general readers. If you wish to read more deeply, you can casually consult some traditional garden terminology and local geographical background for fuller understanding.

What was the author's reason for writing this book?

According to the book's own account, having retired with nothing to do, the author often went to the West Garden to pass the time, and so he recorded its fine features in detail. At the same time, he laments that after the turmoil of Xianfeng Xinyou the great households declined and the gardens fell into ruin, with most of the old gardens no longer extant; thus the account carries both the pleasure of leisurely roaming and the intent to preserve local memory.

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About the author

Chen Hengqing Author · Chinese · 1844–1920

Chen Hengqing (1844–1920), courtesy name Zijiu, was a native of Weixian in Shandong (present-day Weicheng District, Weifang). A late Qing official and scholar, he passed the provincial examination in 1873 and the metropolitan examination in 1886. He served successively as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, rising through the Waterways, Construction, and Colonization Departments, and later held posts as Supervising Censor of the Ministry of War, Investigating Censor of the Henan Circuit, and Chief Supervising Censor. In 1908 he was appointed prefect of Jinzhou. He retired at sixty and wrote works including Jianshu Xian Notes (also known as Jili Qingtan) and Unofficial Gleanings of the Late Qing. His extant writings are considerable, with 154 titles held in our collection, many drawing on folk literature and Eastern philosophy. They touch on modern upheavals such as the militia conflicts, the Boxer movement, and the Nian rebels, as well as rural tales and social types like foxes and swindlers, and social issues such as Manchu-Han differences, bearing the documentary flavor of note-style historiography. Public information is limited, and his literary standing and influence await further study.