Objective Contemporary private gardens in Jiangnan region are in continuing prosperity. They have cognitive value as their inheritance and development of traditional construction techniques are effectively integrated with the reality of life. It is necessary to explore their construction status, appearance characteristics, method orientation, etc., and to change the situation that there is still a lack of systematic academic research.
Methods Combining multiple sources of materials such as literature, field visits, and interviews, this research tentatively discusses the inheritance and development of traditional “ shanshui” (mountain and river) construction in contemporary Jiangnan private gardens from three levels: Theory, current status, and construction.
Results Firstly, in terms of theory, as to “private gardens”, the tradition of folk garden making since Ming and Qing dynasties has been popularized among the general public, far from being exclusive to literati. We should broaden our perspective to incorporate an incalculable number of folk gardens; meanwhile, a large number of relatively small “courtyard gardens” exist, which have inherent deep vitality thanks to their close relationship with people’s daily life, and this is also the most common situation of contemporary folk garden making. The recognition of folk garden making traditions should also pay attention to the inherent aesthetic and formal characteristics of “shanshui” construction. The first thing deserving attention is “shanshui” construction featuring stone arrangement and rockery making. Under the guidance of literati garden creation, the connotation of “shanshui” widely spreads among the general public, laying a solid foundation for traditional garden making. Rockery making or even simple stone arrangement in gardens is the most obvious sign of the continuation of the folk garden making tradition. Secondly, in terms of the current development status, traditional private garden construction has gradually increased since the period of reform and opening up, and has become a thriving trend to this day. Particularly, “shanshui” construction characterized by stone arrangement and rockery making is still the core concern. The folk gardening in Jiangnan has continued uninterruptedly, even during difficult periods such as the Cultural Revolution period. Since the reform and opening up, private garden construction in Jiangnan region has gone from almost extinction to gradual recovery and prosperity, and this upward trend is still continuing. Inheriting historical tradition, the private garden construction in Jiangnan region is increasingly becoming an “art for all”. In terms of specific construction, there are generally fewer large gardens and more small courtyard gardens; in terms of form and style, with “mountains and rivers” as the characteristic, traditional garden making can be clearly distinguished: large and medium-sized traditional gardens can have typical stacked mountains and water arrangements; while in small gardens, it is reflected in relatively simple rockery, and even simple peaks and stones and earth slopes with stones can symbolically express the meaning of “ mountain”, rather than garden construction with clear traditional style. Although more and more gardens without clear traditional style have appeared in recent years, a large part of them still have stone arrangements, typically simple arrangemnets though. This phenomenon can be understood as a deep continuation of traditional culture and a reflection of the adaptability to reality. Thirdly, in terms of specific construction characteristics, “shanshui” construction, as the core feature of traditional gardens, has also produced some outstanding works in the construction of contemporary Jiangnan private gardens. These works not only continue the core landscape connotation of tradition, but also adapt to the actual contemporary living conditions. Some works focus on the inherent adaptability of traditional methods themselves, while others emphasize external new ideas introduced from other fields. From several “ shanshui” construction cases completed in recent years, we can see that some cases more emphasize inheritance and inherit the traditional rockery making techniques in a relatively intact manner under diverse conditions in the contemporary era, reflecting continuous internal vitality; others more emphasize development, indicating that the rockery making techniques that embody the spiritual connotation of “shanshui” culture have undergone changes under new conditions and shown vitality in the innovation of methods and forms.
Conclusion Chinese garden culture had penetrated into the widespread private garden construction during Ming and Qing dynasties, which is significantly reflected by “shanshui” construction in small courtyard gardens. This tradition has continued to this day despite its ups and downs, with traditional garden construction techniques being increasingly applied in contemporary Jiangnan private courtyard gardens. The enthusiasm of folk garden construction, once suppressed among the people in Jiangnan region, has regained its remarkable vitality under new social conditions. As the significant characteristic of folk garden construction, landscape construction is also prominently presented, with both relatively clear inheritance and new development, reflecting the inherent vitality and broad prospects of excellent traditions. The understanding of the inheritance and development of traditional “ shanshui” construction in contemporary Jiangnan private gardens can not only provide a deep understanding of reality, but also provide a highly dynamic source for a wider range of contemporary landscape architecture practices.
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