Analysis of Narrative Space in the Chinese Classical Garden Based on Narratology and Space Syntax—Taking the Humble Administrator’s Garden as an Example

Abstract

Using the theory of Narratology and the analysis method of Space Syntax, the complex structure and plot of space in Chinese Classical Gardens (CCGs) are described and analysed, taking the Humble Administrator’s Garden as an example. The three elements of the garden’s spatial system (nodes, boundaries, and linkages) constitute the complexity and similarity of the garden’s spatial structure. Plaques, couplets, poems, and paintings serve as the narrative vocabulary of the gardens, bringing out the theme and sublimating space. The garden owner uses the garden’s physical space as a carrier, combining the text of the “stories within a story” with the spatial structure of the “gardens in a garden”. By visiting the garden over time, visitors complete the narrative of the garden’s plot space and receive the garden owner’s aspiration of “Reclusive”. The introduction of narrative theory and space syntax into the analysis of Chinese Classical Gardens (CCGs) not only provides a new means of insight into the space of CCGs, but also provides designers with an idea of how to create rich spatial variations and emotional experiences in architectural practice by skilfully using limited spatial resources