Brief analysis of classical chinese garden

The classical Chinese garden has a long historical standing. Some conceptions can inspire a modern landscape architect. Especially the unification of human beings and universe bring about profound impacts to landscape architecture. Chinese gardens are opposite of geometric and emphasize the natural environment. According to the ownership, Classical Chinese garden is divided into three parts: a royal garden, a private garden and a temple garden. Except the temple gardens, the other two types are not open to the public. Royal gardens belong to the royalty. They always have large areas. In order to show the power of the royalty, the gardens are full of grandeur in the main part. They are high-colored and look splendid with yellow glazed tiles and red walls. Compare to the royal garden, private gardens are small and exquisite. Most of them are located in the south of China. The owners are always scholars or former politicians. They built their own gardens, which are simple but elegant, in order to enjoy their picture and poetry in a beautiful scenery. The Chinese word for landscape, "Shan Shui", means literally "mountains and water" and a common phrase for making a garden, again translated literally, is "digging ponds and piling mountains." Although the architectural composition of the main part in a royal garden is regular or symmetrical, the remaining area is comely. When visitors are in the garden, they feel as if were surrounded by the nature.