Chapter 11 Section 6 Furnishings and Decorations of Ancient Gardens

When we introduced the architecture of ancient gardens, we did not highlight the halls, but the halls are an indispensable building body in the garden.In some gardens there is more than one, and the name of the main hall is sometimes the name of the garden.The hall is not an architectural form exclusive to gardens. Compared with the halls in non-gardens, the main difference lies in the surrounding garden environment, and the changes in the building itself are not very prominent.However, the halls in the gardens (generally referred to as halls in the royal gardens) also have two outstanding aspects.One is that the hall is surrounded by very low sill walls, equipped with sill windows or French windows, so that it is easy to see the outside scenery indoors.This kind of hall is called the four-sided hall.Of course, it is also for the purpose of translating internal activities to the outside.The second outstanding aspect is that the interior of the hall is divided into two parts, the front and the back. The decorations of the two parts are different. For example, the pillars in the front are all round, and the pillars in the back are all square. Other decorations also have their own carved patterns. Different contents and separate spaces also have their own characteristics. This kind of hall is called Yuanyang Hall. When you move around in the hall, you can have the feeling of changing space without going out of the hall.Subsequently, the interior furnishings and furniture are also different.

The hall in the garden is mainly a place for receiving and entertaining guests.Therefore, the furnishings in the hall should always reflect the identity, hobbies and cultural accomplishment of the owner.In the old halls, arty and elegant, all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and paintings must be embellished, and there are also antiques in the study. The patterns on the website all take the same theme, and I really exhausted my thoughts.In the Bu Garden in the west of the Humble Administrator’s Garden in Suzhou, there is a hall dedicated to banquets. The plane is square, and a small square room is connected to each of the four corners. It is a place to provide services when holding banquets. Distinctive hall.It is also a mandarin duck hall.The front part is called "Eighteen Mandala Room", and the back part is called "Thirty-six Mandarin Duck Pavilion", and the name is also unique.

There are many forms of space division in the garden hall, all of which are separated by Bisha kitchen, which is a separate enclosed space separated by several slots [ge partition], and a slot in the middle can Opening and closing, the window screen is generally stretched on the sash fan, and the patterns on the window pane and the fine carvings on the skirt board are matched to achieve a very good decorative effect.There are also separate and connected, this form is called mask.Usually there are round masks with carved patterns on all sides and a door frame with a moon hole in the middle; railing covers with symmetrical railings on both sides of the aisle; The frame supports the upper carving.Some of these partitions are combined and used alternately to make the interior of the hall extremely colorful, and it is also convenient for one hall to be divided and used for multiple purposes, resulting in a good viewing effect.The materials for these carvings are all selected from precious hardwoods, which is also a precious work of art when viewed independently.In the royal gardens, there are even those inlaid with gold and jade, which are extraordinarily magnificent and extravagant.

In some gardens, not only in the interior, but also in the paving and garden roads in the courtyard, the delicacy of conception and careful construction are reflected.The paths or the entire courtyard in the garden are paved with various waste materials and ordinary bricks and tiles in a flowery pattern with painstaking efforts, just like an open-air carpet.Especially after the rain, the materials of various textures show bright colors, which is very beautiful. As for the hall furniture mentioned earlier, let me add it here.In the imperial gardens, the halls are tall and the interior furniture is also large in scale. They are often made by the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs according to the actual size of the interior, and the length of a case can reach six to seven meters.Special furniture includes thrones, imperial cases and other forms dedicated to emperors and empresses.The carved patterns also mostly use five-clawed dragons, which are absolutely not allowed by the folks.Most of the surviving works are from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Ming-style furniture made of huanghuali and rosewood is a masterpiece in the history of Chinese furniture.Most of the furniture in private gardens advocate Ming style.Generally, there are rack tables, warped head tables, eight immortals tables, coffee tables, incense tables, piano tables, painting tables and various chairs, stools and seats.Special ones include chess table, Xiangfei couch, Arhat bed, lamp hanging chair and so on.Rarely, there are jigsaw puzzle tabletops. The table top is jigsaw puzzles, which can be combined into one large square table or two small square tables.There is also a golden rooster independent round table turntable, the tabletop can be rotated.Most of these furniture are made in Suzhou and Guangzhou.There is also a kind of furniture carved from tree roots, which is natural and simple, and it is really top-grade and very rare.There is a fine piece, called the Liuyun couch, which is now in the Forbidden City. It was originally a display in the Kangshan Thatched Cottage in the Yangzhou Garden.

All kinds of railings are common decorations with practical functions in gardens, such as bridge railings, building railings, gallery railings... long and short, high and low, with various patterns.There are as many as 100 kinds of patterns listed in the book "Yuan Ye", and there are far more than this number in reality.There is a kind of railing stool used on the porch, the lower part is a railing, and the upper part is a bench-like board.There is also a kind of gooseneck chair on the upstairs or Linshui Pavilion.Also known as Wuwangkei and Meirenjiao, it is a chair transformed from a railing stool. It is mostly used in gardens in the north and south, and it is almost found in gardens in the south of the Yangtze River.

The gates in the garden are also ever-changing. On the basis of the round moon gate, there are various variations in the shape of bottles, autumn leaves, pianos, and gourds. These gates of different shapes also play the role of framing the scenery.