Think globally, build locally; syncretism and symbolism in the Garden of Sitting in Reclusion

Abstract

The spiritual aspect of Chinese gardens is often the aspect most emphasised in Western accounts of the Chinese garden tradition, but this is frequently discussed in a general way (e.g., in terms of the influence of Taoism on Chinese gardens) rather than with reference to its manifestation in individual cases. In contemporary Chinese accounts of China's own garden tradition, by contrast, the spiritual aspect is often down-played in favour of aesthetic or stylistic considerations, whether in a particular period or in individual gardens.