Life Conception, Picturesque Conception and Artistic Conception—A Study on Yuan Mei and Plant Landscape of Nanjing Suiyuan Garden in Qing Dynasty
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Graphical Abstract
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Abstract
Throughout history, it is easy to draw the conclusion that celebrities must have famous gardens. Yuan Mei’s Suiyuan Garden, which leaves a significant impact on literati gardens in the region south of the Yangtze River in east China and other gardens of later generations, is famous because of Yuan’s influence. But it was destroyed by wars in the mid 19th century. Based on the collection of historical materials, this paper interprets the literature, poems, maps and other materials on the garden. Starting from “three conceptions in harmony” and Yuan Mei’s personality characteristics, it discusses the plant landscape of Suiyuan Garden, and sums up its characteristics as follows: 1) There are abundant varieties of plants and ways of disposition. 2) There are various functions of plants. 3) The plant management embodies the idea of “ecology”. 4) It utilizes plants’ own personality morals to convey the pursuit and yearning for beautiful things. 5) Landscaping conveys the interest of life at the same time. We can also pry into the splendid scenery of the park and enjoy the beautiful scenery in the plant landscape. Meanwhile, it can also provide a useful supplement to related researches of literati gardens in the region south of the Yangtze River in east China.
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