The earliest recorded Chinese gardens were created in the valley of the
Yellow River, during
the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). These gardens were large enclosed parks where the kings
and nobles hunted game, or where fruit and vegetables were grown. Early inscriptions from this
period, carved on tortoise shells, have three Chinese characters for
garden, you, pu and yuan. You was a royal garden where birds and animals were kept,
while pu was a garden for plants. During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), yuan became the
character for all gardens.[8] The old character for yuan is a small picture of a garden; it is enclosed
in a square which can represent a wall, and has symbols which can represent the plan of a
structure, a small square which can represent a pond, and a symbol for a plantation or a
pomegranate tree.[9]
A famous royal garden of the late Shang dynasty was the Terrace, Pond and Park of the Spirit
(Lingtai, Lingzhao Lingyou) built by King Wenwang west of his capital city, Yin. The park was
described in the Classic of Poetry this way:
The King makes his promenade in the Park of the Spirit,
The deer are kneeling on the grass, feeding their fawns,
The deer are beautiful and resplendent.
The immaculate cranes have plumes of a brilliant white.
The King makes his promenade to the Pond of the Spirit,
The water is full of fish, who wriggle.[10]
Another early royal garden was Shaqui, or the Dunes of Sand, built by
the last Shang ruler, King Zhou (1075–1046 BC). It was composed of an
earth terrace, or tai, which served as an observation platform in the
center of a large square park. It was described in one of the early
classics of Chinese literature, the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji).
[11]
According to the Shiji, one of the most famous features of this garden
was the Wine Pool and Meat Forest ( 酒 池 肉 林 ). A large pool, big
enough for several small boats, was constructed on the palace grounds,
with inner linings of polished oval shaped stones from the seashore.
The pool was then filled with wine. A small island was constructed in the
middle of the pool, where trees were planted, which had skewers of
roasted meat hanging from their branches. King Zhou and his friends
and concubines drifted in their boats, drinking the wine with their hands
and eating the roasted meat from the trees. Later Chinese philosophers
and historians cited this garden as an example of decadence and bad
taste.[12]
During the Spring and Autumn period (722–481 BC), in 535 BC,
the Terrace of Shanghua, with lavishly decorated palaces, was built
by King Jing of the Zhou dynasty. In 505 BC, an even more elaborate
garden, the Terrace of Gusu, was begun. It was located on the side of a
mountain, and included a series of terraces connected by galleries,
along with a lake where boats in the form of blue dragons navigated.
From the highest terrace, a view extended as far as Lake Tai, the Great
Lake.[13]
India[edit]
Manasollasa is a twelfth century Sanskrit text that offers details on
garden design and a variety of other subjects. [14] Both public parks and
woodland gardens are described, with about 40 types of trees
recommended for the park in the Vana-krida chapter.[14][15] Shilparatna, a
text from the sixteenth century, states that flower gardens or public
parks should be located in the northern portion of a town. [16]
Japan[edit]
A moss garden at the Saihō-ji temple in Kyoto, started in 1339.
Main article: Japanese garden
The earliest recorded Japanese gardens were the pleasure gardens of
the Emperors and nobles. They are mentioned in several brief passages
of the Nihon Shoki, the first chronicle of Japanese history, published in
720 CE. In spring 74 CE, the chronicle recorded: "The Emperor
Keikō put a few carp into a pond, and rejoiced to see them morning and
evening". The following year, "The Emperor launched a double-hulled
boat in the pond of Ijishi at Ihare, and went aboard with his imperial
concubine, and they feasted sumptuously together". In 486, the
chronicle recorded that "The Emperor Kenzō went into the garden and
feasted at the edge of a winding stream". [17]
