What Is a New Chinese-Style Courtyard? An Analysis of 6 Essential Elements
Chinese classical gardens once went through a very glorious period of development, yet as time passed, today's Chinese classical gardens can no longer keep up with modern people's aesthetic taste for simplicity and fashion. Recovering the essence of classical gardens and incorporating modern design techniques gave rise to modern Chinese-style landscape design. Although it is not yet mature enough, it has already begun to form our country's local, regionalized new Chinese-style landscape.
The new Chinese-style garden style is an art form that adds Chinese traditional elements into a modern style. Taking steadiness and restraint as its starting point, it incorporates modern elements to create a distinctive landscape rich in traditional charm, expressing the appeal of traditional art. In this form, traditional culture can be preserved while the characteristics of the times are highlighted, using traditional techniques and drawing on traditional Chinese flavor and colors, pattern symbols and plant landscapes to create a modern new-style courtyard.
The new Chinese-style courtyard emphasizes the ecological concept of "learning from nature," taking natural scenery as the main body and organically integrating all the elements of the courtyard into one, with emphasis on the refinement of the structure and, even more, on the creation of a landscape-and-water artistic conception.
Six essential elements of a new Chinese-style courtyard:
1. Gate, Pavilion and Corridor
A completely new form of expression for traditional Chinese grand gateways, pavilions and corridors.
2. Whitewashed Walls and Black Tiles
Whitewashed walls and black tiles are the embodiment of the elegant beauty of classical dwellings, conveying the natural, steady atmosphere of Chinese tradition. Blending Eastern aesthetic philosophy with modern design elements and incorporating the color relationship of black, white and gray, it highlights the vivid spirit of Chinese-style design with the Zen-like simplicity of form and depth of meaning.
3. Bamboo Shadows and Placed Stones
Bamboo is one of the most common plants in Chinese-style courtyards, and through curtains it expresses a veiled, dappled-bamboo-shadow kind of Eastern subtle beauty.
"One pond, three mountains" is a traditional Chinese garden pattern, first created in the Han Dynasty and later inherited and developed in the imperial gardens of various dynasties as well as in some private gardens. The three mountains refer to Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, the three immortal mountains in the East Sea in mythology.
4. Landscape Feature Wall
The inspiration comes from Chinese landscapes and ink wash paintings. The artistic conception of Chinese garden-making always carries a poetic and picturesque atmosphere, and the landscape feature wall uses different materials to simulate natural landscapes.
5. Moon Gate Windows and Doors
Round heaven and square earth: "round" is an important element of Chinese culture. Round carries the meaning of completeness and perfection, matching the inner aspirations of Chinese people.
6. Stone Carvings and Horse-Hitching Posts
Horse-hitching post stone carvings are a folk stone-carving art unique to northern China, often placed on both sides of the main gate of residential buildings. They not only form an integral part of the residential compound architecture, but also, like the stone lions in front of the gate, serve to decorate the building and show off wealth, while at the same time being given the meaning of warding off evil and guarding the home.