A Comparative Study On Chinese And Japanese Gardening Art

China is the cradle of the Eastern, and even global natural gardens. Her long and everlasting history and compound cultural accumulation reflected in gardening art has brought about the most mature form of natural garden—humanistic natural garden. Chinese thought and gardening art have influenced Japan greatly and nurtured gardening art with Japanese characteristics. Combining their geographical features, local culture, and the esthetic idea of the Chan sect, Japanese have created "Stone Garden" and "tea-kiosk".As far as modern landscape design is concerned, a lot of further exploration and development have been made in the field of Japanese garden. Its features of brevity and down-to-earth have penetrated the modern Japanese landscape design so that a perfect landscape design system have formed, and, to some extent, this has conformed to the world's simplistic trend. It's a pity that Chinese garden, during the process of transition from classic garden to modern landscape design, doesn't develop further on account of various factors. On the whole, there is much room for Chinese garden art to develop from the perspective of inheriting and embodying in modern landscape design although there have appeared many excellent and ancient-imitating garden works and landscape design works.Therefore, the present paper intends to compare Chinese gardening artistic approaches and that of Japanese. The paper does not compare the two models only. But the more important is that it will borrow the superior factors of Japanese gardens and help further understand Chinese traditional gardening art. The comparison between Chinese and Japanese garden art is summarized like this:Ⅰ. Both Chinese gardens and Japanese gardens belong to the Eastern garden system, of them, the former is the origin, and the latter is derivation.Ⅱ. Both Chinese humanistic natural gardens and Japanese "Stone Garden" "tea-kiosk" are excellent forms of garden. They are worthy of study.Ⅲ. Through analysis and comparison, the paper can help further understanding of Chinese traditional garden, help get to know the gardening elements of excellent ones in both countries. Especially, the ecological principle and the concept that respecting the nature and treasuring the resource in Japanese garden design. It's worth while to learn from Japanese who have successfully inherited and applied their traditional gardeningart to modern landscape design.IV. Retrospection of history and getting to know each other have realistically instructive importance in Chinese modern environmental artistic design.Methods and approaches:Firstly, the paper will analyze and compare roughly the differences between the two countries' geographical surroundings and cultural backgrounds. Then it will analyze the development and historical origin. Thirdly, it will analyze and compare gardening art concerning five main factors: placing stones, purifying water, rebuilding hills, buildings, and plants. This will be based on case study. Finally, it will analyze and compare the actual situation of modem landscape design in both countries. The paper puts forward that we should learn from Japanese when carry out modern landscape design so that we can be aware of developing direction.