Suzhou

The classical gardens of Suzhou

Name	Classical Gardens
Place	Suzhou
Country	China
Topic	please enter the topic here
Author(s)	Zhang Yujun
Completion	Please enter the date of completion
Client	Please enter the client
Project costs	Please enter the costs (if known)
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="31.292634" lon="120.506287" zoom="10" width="300" height="250"> </googlemap>

Rationale: Why is this case study interesting?

• The case is a investigation of the garde status of Suzhou in China.it's also the project

in our workshop.the gardens are a brilliant part of Chinese cultural heritage. I'd like to

let more and more people konw the gardens of Suzhou in China.The gardens'characteristics

are as follows:

• Firstly,they set fine examples of how garden spaces are ingeniously handled.

• Secondly, they are the re-creation of the splendors of natural scenery through the processes of the decoration of land by planting trees, shrubs and flowers, and designing and materializing mountains and watercourses.

• Thirdly, they are an epitome of exquisite and multifarious buildings of old times in the south of the Lower Yangtze .

• Fourthly, they are rich in literary connotations ,carrying a tremendous amound of information about Chinese culture.

• To sum up, the classical gardens of Suzhou in the course of over two millennium have experienced many ups and downs, and gradually reached a state of artistic perfection.

Author's perspective

• What theoretical or professional perspective do you bring to the case study?

• The most important thing is that,we must put the protection of the world heritage

in the first place.in order to serach for the balance of the protection and

development and better to make use of the garden resources.we should be follow the

the several requirements.Firstly,the restorable protection of the classical

gardens.Secondly,the excavate protection of the classical gardens.Thirdly,the

constructive protection of the classical gardens.Because the gardens could witnessed

the history and culture and provid us the beautiful enjoy.

Landscape and/or urban context

• Biogeography, cultural features, overall character, history and dynamics

Illustration: Map; sketches; short descriptive analyses

• Skills of Suzhou gardens used in Urban Landscape-with green belt around ancient

towns of Suzhou as an example.

• Suzhou is a ancient city with a history of more than 2500 years.The gardens are

the treasure of the historical and cultural city,they are also the business card of the city.Since 2000,city of Suzhou had in order to give top of the national garden city.In accordance with the construction goal that the "city of gardens, gardens in the city",they have greatly improved the small number of the public green space and the poor quality in the city center and the city district.The ancient city of central green belt is the focus of construction of the green space. At the same time,the garden belt around ancient towns of Suzhou is a very important subject of the ancient city of Suzhou ring style works.

• Planning how to design not only embodies the "protection of ancient city,reapperance the scene of the river",but also become a problem for the landscape designers,that

is how to creat the public planning for people into leisure and toursm.Full use of the classical gardens of Suzhou is a way to become a necessary choice.

Cultural/social/political context

• Brief explanation of culture, political economy, legal framework

Illustration: Bullet points, image, background notes

  * With a history of more than 2,500 years, the ancient city of Suzhou, boasting splendid scenery, rich 

cultural heritage and abundant agricultural products, is situated in the Lower Yangtze basin by the side of lake tai. Ever since the founding of Suzhou as the capital of the Wu Kingdom in 514 B.C., it has been the political, economic and cultural center of the region.As a place famed for its well-known scholars, successful merchants, great architects and distinguished artists, Suzhou provides favorable conditions for the creation and development of classical gardens.

　　*The earliest gardens of Suzhou, which belonged to the King of Wu, can be traced far back to the Spring and Autumn period in the 6th century B.C. The Pijiang Garden was recorded as the earliest private garden-house dating from the 4th century Eastern Jin Dynasties. More gardens were built in the centuries that followed. During the prosperous Ming and Qing Dynasties, from the 16th to the 18th centuries that followed. During the prosperous Ming and Qing Dynasties, from the 16th to the 18th century in particular. Suzhou saw a booming economy . Consequently, the number of gardens in the city of Suzhou and its environs increased a great deal, mounting to 200 odd. Dozens of them have survived to the present and are kept in a good state of preservation.With their numerical superiority and artistic perfection, the classical gardens of Suzhou has had a good reputation in this part of China, popularly known as "the earthly paradise".

　　*Laid out within a limited area by the house, a classical garden of Suzhou is a microcosm of the world made of the basic elements of water, stones, plants and different kinds of buildings with literary allusions. Like a freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese painting, it is the creation of "urban scenery" or an amicable environment that brings man into harmony with nature.Built in a period when privately-owned gardens were most flourishing, the Humble Administrator's Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master-of-Nets Garden and the Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty, noted for their beautiful scenes,elegant buildings and literary connotations, represent the concentrated essence of wisdom of the Chinese and the finest specimens of all classical gardens of Suzhou. Like shining pearls, they are a brilliant part of Chinese cultural heritage.

History

• How did the area/project/plan at the focus of the case study evolve?

Illustration: Table or time line

Spatial analysis of area/project/plan

• What are the main structural features?
• How has it been shaped? Were there any critical decisions?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Core Questions of Working Group History and Conservation

How are the heritage sites linked to the adjacent urban landscape?

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How are the heritage sites used?

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Which elements make the heritage site successful and attractive?

In my opinion,if we want to make the heritage site successful and attractive, we must pay attention to the following three points:

• Firstly, make full use of and reasonable utilization use of a variety available resources,it's become an important method for creating the effective heritage. For example,there are hundreds of thousands of coastal、riverside and lakeside areas in the United States. However, if it's mismanagement,and some have been using for accounted, and even some potential flooding. How to change the water into a place that people can easy closed, is a most attractive public access to open space.

A successful example is the transformation change of C&O Canal Park. When the scenic and history C&O canal of the park has been built, it's has provided people with recreational places immediately, the protection of the environment has attracted a large number of visitors, at the same time, it also attracted here the real estate developers to see the potential of the tourism market. Accordingly,it brings the development of the entire waterfront area.

• Secondly, it's important to use the proper of a variety of management.

1.The public approach.

2.The public|private coventure.

3.The market-orientedcivic model.

From the above two points we can see that the management is a very important tache according to hoe to make the heritage site successful and attractive.

• Thirdly, the heritage sites of their own history and human factors are also very important, it can make itself more attractive and to increase significantly.

Take the classical gardens of Suzhou for example. Suzhou is located in the southeastern part of Jiangsu Province. The city was established as the capital of the state of Wu during the Warring States Period of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, c.476-221 BCE. When the Grand Canal linking many older canals in China was constructed during the Sui dynasty, Suzhou prospered, becoming a center of the silk trade. During the Song dynasty, nearby Hangzhou became the imperial capital and Suzhou grew as well, a convenient retreat for scholars, officials and merchants.

Marco Polo visited "Su-chau" and remarked on the large size of the city, its prosperity, the silk trade and its "6,000 stone bridges". He said that the name of the city meant "Earth", and that there was another nearby city designated as "Heaven". Other early sources referred to Suzhou as "Earthly Paradise".

Gardening in Suzhou reached its height during the Ming and Qing dynasties. There were over 280 private gardens then in Suzhou and landscaping became an art with established masters. The mild climate, along with 230 frost-free days and around 43 inches of rain annually the area is perfect for gardening endeavors.

Sixty-nine gardens in and around Suzhou are still in good condition. In 1997, UNESCO added four of the private gardens of Suzhou to the World Heritage list, extending this in 2000 to include the historic section of the city and five other gardens in the area.

Another side, it is a living, leisure, recreation places on the fundamental nature and function, the special model that the gardens of the residence-in-one, it's a great create of a kind of reflects China's ancient southern region a high degree of civilization and way of life to live.

The garden itself has its own advantages and connotation.

• Firstly,it can freehand reflects the thinking of landscape art.
• Secondly,it has the perfect living conditions and living environment.
• Thirdly,it contions the rich social and cultural connotations.

How is the historical background of the heritage site presented to the public?

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What do the author(s) want to express with the garden concept? Did he/they follow the cultural background of the time?

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Analysis of program/function

• What are the main functional characteristics?
• How have they been expressed or incorporated?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Analysis of design/planning process

• How was the area/project/plan formulated and implemented?
• Were there any important consultations/collaborations?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Analysis of use/users

• How is the area/project/plan used and by whom?
• Is the use changing? Are there any issues?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Future development directions

• How is the area/project/plan evolving?

• The most important thing is that,we must put the protection of the world heritage

in the first place.in order to serach for the balance of the protection and

development and better to make use of the garden resources.

we should be follow the

the several requirements.Firstly,the restorable protection of the classical

gardens.Secondly,the excavate protection of the classical gardens.Thirdly,the

constructive protection of the classical gardens.

• Are there any future goals?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Peer reviews or critique

• Has the area/ project/plan been reviewed by academic or professional reviewers?
• What were their main evaluations?

Pleas add references, quotes...

Points of success and limitations

• What do you see as the main points of success and limitations of the area/project/plan?

Illustration: Summary table

What can be generalized from this case study?

• Are there any important theoretical insights?

Short statement plus background notes

Which research questions does it generate?

Short statement plus background notes

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References

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