Objective The gardening concept of “painterly landscape gardening” was established in the late Ming Dynasty, and still has application value in the context of the contemporary landscape architecture discipline, which emphasizes the continuation of traditional gardening wisdom in practice. Liu Dunzhen, a pioneer in the research and design of traditional Chinese gardens, consciously used the concept of “painterly landscape gardening” to guide his design of Zhan Garden in Nanjing in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in terms of rockery making, which complemented his research on classical gardens as indicated in his works Classical Gardens of Suzhou that was carried out during the same period. The results of his research on classical gardens were applied to the design of Zhan Garden, and the practical experience of Zhan Garden was categorized into the framework of his knowledge and research on classical gardens. This research aims to explore the ways in which the concept of “painterly landscape gardening” is applied in Liu Dunzhen’s contemporary practice of rockery making in Zhan Garden.

Methods The research adopts the methods of document collection and field observation, integrates existing research and information on Zhan Garden, and systematically combs through the process of Liu Dunzhen’ s design and generation in his painterly rockery making. Taking “painterly landscape gardening” as the clue, the research focuses on the restoration and design process of the Phase I project of Zhan Garden, especially the rockeries in the north, south, and west parts of the garden. In combination with the expositions of Liu Dunzhen, Ye Juhua, and other witnesses of Zhan Garden, as well as the design references of relevant painters’ paintings and The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, Liu Dunzhen’s design process in terms of rockery making in Zhan Garden is investigated. The research also explores the specific ways for realizing “painterly landscape gardening” in rockery making in Zhan Garden, including which painters’ styles or paintings Liu Dunzhen chose as references for his rockery making, how to realize the transformation of art forms from paintings to gardens, and how to implement the effects through practical operations during construction.

Results The results of the research show that in terms of the renovation of the north rockery in Zhan Garden, Liu Dunzhen referred to the “Small Axe-cut Texture Stroke” painting technique of painter Yan Ciping and the “Bent-ribbon Texture Stroke” painting technique of painter Ni Zan to shape the texture of stones, and created a lofty and profound pictorial space by borrowing from pictorial theories. The design of the south wigwam incorporates the painting styles of painters Ma Yuan and Huang Gongwang, creating a craggy, deep and natural mood through the form of rockery and pool and the detailed stacking of stones. Stacked stones near the stream in the west rockery adopt the “Hemp-fibre Texture Stroke” painting technique of painter Huang Gongwang, presenting a rounded and soft aesthetic feeling. Liu Dunzhen’s practice of painterly rockery making not only explores the comprehensive arrangement of stone utilization and style selection, but also provides valuable experience for contemporary gardening practice and useful inspirations for the modern translation of traditional culture.

Conclusion The key to Liu Dunzhen’s painterly rockery making lies in stone utilization and style selection. The process of painterly rockery making can be divided into three steps: Firstly, conceive the appropriate form and style of rockery in combination with real conditions and design needs; secondly, select referential painter(s) and painting style(s) to help clarify the rockery image conceived; lastly, in the process of construction, flexibly adjust the design scheme according to the specific stone materials used, and select texture stroke techniques easy to simulate based on the characteristics of the stone materials used. From the perspective of completion effect, the rockery making in Zhan Garden reflects the influence of painting in all such aspects as layout, form and texture stroke. For example, such painting theories as “three distances” (“sanyuan”, namely “high distance” (“gaoyuan”), “deep distance” (“shenyuan”), and “even distance” (“pingyuan”)) and scenery levels are adopted to complete the overall layout of rockery and pool, and multiple stone forms such as stone screen, cliff and stone ledge are adopted to create different texture stroke effects at different rockery positions such as Ni Zan’s “Bent-ribbon Texture Stroke”, Yan Ciping’s “Small Axe-cut Texture Stroke”, Ma Yuan’s “Large Axe-cut Texture Stroke”, and Huang Gongwang’s “Hemp-fibre Texture Stroke”. Liu Dunzhen’s design practice of Zhan Garden has been widely praised, and his renovation design of Zhan Garden is not only a concrete practice of his garden research, but also his last and most successful creation. Liu Dunzhen’s practice of painterly rockery making in Zhan Garden demonstrates a high level of modernization of traditional artistic concepts and techniques, and realizes an effective translation of the concept of “pictorialism” into contemporary gardening. Despite some controversies, such as the importance of historical authenticity and artistic expression in the restoration and design process, Liu Dunzhen not only successfully fulfills the design task of Zhan Garden, but also injects the essence of traditional gardens and paintings into the project, contributing to a high-calibre contemporary gardening practice.