Interactions of Chinese Garden and European Garden and Their Differences - Essay Example

Interactions of Chinese garden and European garden and their differences Section one Garden architecture refers to the planning, designing and nurturing some landscape to project some aesthetic value while also protecting the culture and nature of the region in which it is located. Of critical importance in this case is Chinese and the European garden orientation. European architecture is characterized by baroque art which is evident in almost every building in the European countries. Baroque art tends to create a sense of movement, energy and they also create tension. Motion could be witnessed in the way the contrasts in color and light is reflected. These architecture also manifests a lot of spirituality as seen in the case of the catholic roman church construction. It is evidenced by the scenes in ecstasies and martyrdoms. These designs also reflect personality of the artist in their styles. The most outstanding feature of Chinese architecture is the axially symmetrical layout of each and every building with other buildings constructed to be parallel with the building. Another feature is the fact that the main frames are wooden and the windows designed flexibly to suit the need intended for the building (Chen, 2011). The design of the roof is also very attractive and this is done successfully using bright colors to capture attention. The Chinese and European architectural garden also reflect these differences. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the similarities, the differences of Chinese and European garden architecture, while also discussing the interaction of these two types during the 18th century to examine the reason why the differences were generated. Section two The origin of the Chinese garden architecture can be traced back to the end of Shang dynasty and the beginning of the western Zou dynasty when the Chinese kings began to develop forests and wood for hunting purposes. The design was made of wood or constructed like a park to act as an enclosure that would confine animals during hunting (Keswick et al, 2003). The origin of the European architecture began when huge buildings were built by the romans who took over the Greeks as the ruling empire. This led to the construction of large temples that would be used for Christian missions. It was further propelled by the fact that the romans continued to spread over Europe and they soon took over the architecture through their thick walls and heavy piers (Penelope, 2004) The Chinese garden architecture evolved to suit the environmental circumstances of the hunters during that time. As it evolved and became a garden it was recognized for its aesthetic beauty and was eventually adopted as a culture. The European garden architecture evolved to suit the aesthetic needs of the Europeans and it reflected the culture of the romans which was dominant then. The Chinese architecture was guided by the fact it was supposed to house different religious statues. The door was placed towards the side or at the side because it was meant to confuse the devil (Keswick et al, 2003). The European architecture was guided by the fact that these huge buildings could serve as temples or halls that would be used for social gatherings. It was an indication of power given the massive nature of the buildings. The Chinese believe in simplicity and this is clearly manifested in their architectural designs. Usually, the front of Chinese architecture is simply plain walls that cannot catch your eyes, but when you patiently walk inside, you will find the best feature is waiting in the farthest inside like a shy girl slowly uncovers her veil. They do not emphasize on excessive expression but will always seek modesty and gentleness. An example of such buildings are Fengshui and Memorial arch. The European architecture is characterized by symbols and strange images that symbolize the dreams, fears, ideas and beliefs that mankind has had to put up with since they began to walk upright. The expressions on the statues reflect what they are feeling and this is communicated through their influence on the person watching the building. The big size of the buildings reflect power which would indicate the romans dominance over the dynasties that they ruled. The size also denote boldness in the temple. Both the Chinese and the European gardens came into existence as a result of special attitude towards nature. The Chinese appreciated wildlife while the Europeans were after the aesthetic value of the environment (Hui, 2011). A variety of views is also typical for both. Both involve an inspiration for solitude in the open air while the also offer an opportunity for mental wanderings. Both were also built on the principle of asymmetry. The Chinese gardens were restricted by the natural environments while the European gardens were restricted by flexibility of their designs. The Chinese were guided by the method of a central axis with a symmetric compact composition while the European gardens by their creativity in which they were guided by free combination. The Chinese garden was created as the model of nature, where nature was understood as the universe but was confined to a small area. The Europeans understood and developed the principles of Chinese gardens so that they could represent a natural and wild view of the country. The European interest focus was mainly on creating exotic building gardens using the Chinese style. Section 3 The Chinese architecture was built out of the need to make their daily lives comfortable so that they could hunt while at the same time exploring the beauty of the nature. It was inspired by wildness in nature and adopted a central axis, symmetric compact composition method. The European architecture evolved from the principles of Chinese architecture whereby they intertwined human character with nature (Hui, 2011). They were inspired by creativity borrowed from the Chinese culture in architecture. In both gardens the space that was used to create the landscape was symbolical. Nature was the defining theme and that was spiritual and the living substance too in the landscapes. This allowed for a visitor to return to his inner world one they were in these places. This is what led to the development of parks in England and it later spread to other parts. Religion in Chinese culture was different from that in Europe because of the way they worshiped. In Chinese, one has to let themselves free in a world so that they could connect with their inner feelings (Yuan, 2004). This is the reason for Chinese architecture having some sort of space in their constructions to denote a free spirit. In Europe which was mainly in the Roman Empire, emphasis was laid on the pictures that would show the connection with the supernatural being. It would be shown by the expression on the buildings. The Chinese differ with European planning strategy because in Chinese strategy there is recreation of nature while in European planning there is imitation of nature. In European, the house and park are separated from each other while in Chinese the house and garden constitute and indivisible space. As a rule, the landscape in European architecture covered comparatively large areas while in Chinese size is not a defining characteristic. In European landscape, the basic structural elements were tree and water while in Chinese the structural elements were mountains and water. The functionality of the aspect of free combination in Chinese buildings was to have another natural state in nature while in European architecture it was to adjust nature and confine it in a given area. Section four The Chinese started to interact with the Europeans in 1517 -1800 because it was through china that European ships sailed into. The traditional Chinese world order used the tribute system to place the Chinese at the center of civilization which made other states to recognize it by being granted permission to trade with China (Keswick et al, 2003). The Europeans saw the tribute system as a tool that could be used to gain competitive advantage over their rivals and they became more interested. Section five Historical reason The differences in architectural designs between china and Europe was attributed to the difference in historical encounters that the two countries underwent. In china, religion was important aspect since it allowed one to connect with the inner self through meditation. This was seen in the way it influenced the design of the Chinese building in terms of space. The architectural garden was large enough to symbolize the free will of the spirit to wander in a particular direction (Hui, 2011). These designs also marked the transition period from the reign of one dynasty to another. The European designs were a reflection of power of the romans when they took over the Greeks. They were big and had thick walls with statues. This was to serve as an identity of the romans that would soon spread to other parts of Europe to symbolize their dominance of over the Greeks. The architectural design also did not have so much creativity and so it borrowed from the Chinese architectural designs to enhance the design of their looks. The main reason for borrowing ideas from the Chinese was to use the Chinese principles so as to create a unique feel of nature with human character. This would mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new season in transitions From an environmental perspective, the European climate was more of a regular landscape. This resulted into the architectural designs adopting a somewhat regular designs to their buildings. The European architecture focused on regular buildings and built closed designs to suit the landscape on which the building was located. The use of statues was to reflect on the historical transitions that the country had gone through. The free growth of landscapes was a symbol for free growth of the human spirit. In china, the landscape was mainly rocky and mountainous. Building a design that was parallel and symmetrical was to allow for an arrangement that would be appealing from a far. Besides, the fact that the landscape was not regular when the buildings were designed towards the gradient then it weakens the foundation and makes it hard for construction (Hui, 2011). The mountainous landscape of china also makes it easy to give the gardens the natural look since little can be done to alter this environment. The rocks are difficult to redesign to adapt to the nature of the environment. This is not the case in Europe since the regular landscape has to be recreated to have a new look. A regular landscape is easier to manipulate to suit the artists’ personality or taste as compared to a mountainous landscape. Most of china’s landscape is unique to this country alone and so using the people’s culture to deign these buildings is importance as a preserve for the Chinese culture. Since they do not believe in too much expression at first sight, the modesty in the mountainous landscape is an added advantage. The roof tops will not be too inviting from a distance but will only generate curiosity upon moving closer. The design of the gardens is to be asymmetrical as possible so as to create an enduring flow besides emulating nature. The Chinese are a conservative community and they do not like to attract attention. On the other hand, the Europeans like to express themselves in various ways. This can be done with the use of colors to create various themes and the use of statues to express their emotions. From a social point of view, the European designs were specifically designed to suit the social purposes during the Roman Empire (Keswick et al, 2003). They were big in size to accommodate large numbers and had thick walls to reduce distraction when people were conversing in the different rooms. The sizes were to reflect dominance over a majority of people to symbolize power. The bigger and the more it was crowded the more the power the ruling dynasty had. The fact they were the ruling dynasty also propelled them to spread more of these designs across Europe which was later adopted. The Chinese designs were meant to define the tastes and preferences of the Chinese people though the buildings. The colors used during construction of these buildings were very gentle and did not attract a lot of attention. Using building accessories that would hang on doors or windows were a preserve for the temples and could not be used in any other building. This was because of the high social value that is placed on them in the temples. Also, all the buildings were legally regulated such that the law held that the number of storeys, the length of the building and the colors used depended on the owner’s class. One of the main reason for the construction of these buildings was for spirituality purposses. In china, the architectural designs were mostly employed in construction of temples for spiritual purposes. The axial symmetry was supposed to serve as a divisional unit that divides less important things from the important ones. For instance, the placing the door at the side was believed to confuse the devil. The use of certain colors, numbers and the cardinal directions reflected belief in a particular immanence (Keswick et al, 2003). This is a case whereby the nature of a thing could be wholly contained in its form without reference to an evanescent belief. The use of different colors for the roof tops also indicate the belief they had in their God. For example, black color which was used in pagodas made them believe that the gods were inspired by black color to descend onto the earth. As for the Europeans, the temples were big in size and had paintings of the saints that were believed to intercede for humankind. These paintings could also be used to measure the success of a person in relation to their spirituality. References Keswick, Maggie, Charles Jencks, and Alison Hardie. 2003. The Chinese garden. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Zou, Hui. 2011. A Jesuit garden in Beijing and early modern Chinese culture. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press. Yuan, Lei. 2004. The Chinese garden: architecture and nature as complementary unity : Beebe Lake garden, an exploration of the Chinese garden in a foreign context. Thesis (M.Arch.)--Cornell University, Aug., 2004. Chen, Gang. 2011. Landscape architecture: planting design illustrated. Irvine, California: ArchiteG, Inc. Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture, and Michel Conan. 2007. Contemporary garden aesthetics, creations and interpretations. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Hill, Penelope. 2004. Contemporary history of garden design: European gardens between art and architecture. Basel [u.a.]: Birkhäuser. Keswick, Maggie, Charles Jencks, and Alison Hardie. 2003. The Chinese garden. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture, Therese OMalley, and Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn. 1998. John Evelyns "Elysium Britannicum" and European gardening. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Read More