Chengdu Classical Gardens From The Perspective Of Literary Landscape

Chinese Classical Gardening integrates cultural heritage and literary landscape.On one hand,as for material entity,including garden architecture such as buildings,hills,water,plants,flowers,inscribed board and calligraphy;on the other hand,about ideology,it reflects calligraphy & paintings of famous scholars.A series of well-designed featured buildings and gardening come into sight like landscape painting,scholars literary collections also witness their lives during those periods.They express their emotional experiences and philosophy of lives while gathering,drinking and chanting poems in the garden.Therefore,it's generally acknowledged that history of gardening consists of material entity,literary collection and calligraphy.Surveying Bashu Gardening,either limited by gardening journals and historical tales,or by garden architecture and category of philosophy,the former tends to shelter or split historical information,while the latter ignores the history and humanity of gardening development.Therefore,the article aims at Chengdu Gardening including five gardens—— Dufu Thatched Cottage,Wuhou Temple,Chengdu West Garden,Hejiang Garden and Jiangdu Temple,organized by the order of time,historical records and literary works,displaying the booming and declining of history.It depicts the change of prosperity and decline of Wuhou Temple since Mid-Tang Dynasty.Little was known about the history of it before the Tang Dynasty.The predecessor of exiting Wuhou Temple was Liu Bei Temple,first built between Shu and Han Dynasties.During Wei,Jin and Southern & Northern Dynasties,Zhuge Liang Memorial Hall was moved and coexisted with Liu Bei Temple---the former emperor.After Du Fu visited it,he wrote a famous poem entitled “The Prime Minister of Shu Dynasty”,in which he created a unique literary landscape for ancient cypress in Wuhou Temple.The first chapter discusses Wuhou Temple was rebuilt and reconstructed during the late Tang Dynasty,and experience prosperity of all time.Later in Bei Song Dynasty,it gradually became deserted and decayed.Towards Nan Song it was repaired and redecorated.During the Ming Dynasty,considering inequality between Monarch & Minister,Zhuge Liang Memorial Hall was merged into Liu Bei Temple.Wuhou Temple in Qing Dynasty was paid more attention to by royal court and local government,through frequent reconstruction,it has become a most grand and marvelous memorial garden ever since.The second chapter discusses the historical development of Huanhuaxi Dufu Thatched Cottage,which used to be the former home of Du Fu,one of the greatest poets in the Tang Dynasty.Built in the middle of the Tang Dynasty when he arrived in Chengdu,it was originally a shabby cottage of a scholar,later became deserted and collapsed after he left there,but it regained attention after visited and pondered by other scholars,who went there later.Since Weizhuang in Five Dynasties rebuilt it,other followers repaired again and again,thus growing grand and magnificent.Till the Song Dynasty,it was focused on by local officials,repairing and mending it into a gorges memorial temple,and gradually became a tourist of attraction in Chengdu.It remained in the Yuan Dynasty and in Ming Dynasty it developed from memorial temple into hall of fame.Later in the Qing Dynasty,serving as a place of putting down rebellion and educating the public,it was rebuilt repeatedly and visited by more scholars.Literary singing,writing and settling prolong the literature atmosphere of the cottage.Finally,the reconstruction during Jia Qing Emperor established the latest pattern of today.The third chapter lists the booming and declining of the Chengdu West Garden,Hejiang Garden and Jiangdu Temple.Chengdu West Garden,first built in Beisong,as a gathering place of Chengdu officials,was famous for literary works of the Song Dynasty.Consisting of Xilou and Jin pavilion,charming and magnificent,it was a place for Chengdu officials and scholars to sing and tour acting as a tourist attraction.In the Song Dynasty,the courier station was also called West Garden.“Records of Scenic Spots in Shuzhong”,written by Cao Xuequan,mistook some architecture as that of West Garden.The article have carded and revised the above information of previous works.Hejiang Garden,first built in the Tang Dynasty,was a back garden of officials during Five Dynasty and used by the officials who were in charge of ferry in the Song Dynasty.It was noted for Fanghualou,especially for plum blossom in the garden.Jiangdu Temple dates from the Hang Dynasty,rebuilt in Tang and Song and became splendid.In front of it is a clear pond,as a garden famous for its charming scenery,some scholars went there to sing and write poems in the Song Dynasty.It depicts the change of prosperity and decline of Wuhou Temple since Mid-Tang Dynasty.Little was known about the history of it before the Tang Dynasty.The predecessor of exiting Wuhou Temple was Liu Bei Temple,first built between Shu and Han Dynasties.During Wei,Jin and Southern & Northern Dynasties,Zhuge Liang Memorial Hall was moved and coexisted with Liu Bei Temple---the former emperor.After Du Fu visited it,he wrote a famous poem entitled “The Prime Minister of Shu Dynasty”,in which he created a unique literary landscape for ancient cypress in Wuhou Temple.Wuhou Temple was rebuilt and reconstructed during the late Tang Dynasty,and experience prosperity of all time.Later in Bei Song Dynasty,it gradually became deserted and decayed.Towards Nan Song it was repaired and redecorated.During the Ming Dynasty,considering inequality between Monarch & Minister,Zhuge Liang Memorial Hall was merged into Liu Bei Temple.Wuhou Temple in Qing Dynasty was paid more attention to by royal court and local government,through frequent reconstruction,it has become a most grand and marvelous memorial garden ever since.This article summarizes the historical development of Chengdu Gardens,reveals the positive facilitating roles by officials,writers and literary works on the development of Gardens,and gives further reflection about the concept “the Spirits of Gardens are conveyed by Literary Works and Culture.”...