Spatiotemporal narrative structure of the lingering garden based on traditional Chinese conception of time and space

Abstract

Classical Chinese gardens have a distinct layout structure. By studying the traditional Chinese conception of space–time and its characteristics, this article explores the spatiotemporal narrative structure and typological patterns of the Lingering Garden, which is highly representative of Souzhou gardens in China. While existing literature addresses the sagittal and cyclical concepts of space–time, this paper advances a separate and interactive view of space–time using Yin-Yang transformation logic. Field research revealed that three space–time natures emerge as three spatiotemporal narratives in the Lingering Garden (sagittal, cyclical, and separate-and-interactive) with different characteristics. These modes intertwine in different ways in the garden’s five areas to form the Lingering Garden’s holistic spatiotemporal narrative structure, which nurtures dynamic experiences and infinite imagination. This result helps us better understand other Chinese gardens and supplements the theory of gardening art; however, more case studies should be done to determine its generalisability.

Keywords:

• Classical Chinese gardens
• the Lingering Garden
• spatiotemporal structure
• narrative patterns
• Chinese conception of time and space

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Prof Guo Qian and Peng Changxin for their guidance and encouragement, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

Disclosure statement

The author reports that there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Project, under the grant titled ‘Research on the spatial form and composition law of Lingnan private garden in the late Qing Dynasty based on three-dimensional reconstruction with two-dimensional historical image’ [project approval number 51978271].

Notes on contributors

Yuanjie Lin

Yuanjie Lin is a Ph.D. student in the School of Architecture at the South China University of Technology and a member of the Guangzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Landscape Architecture. His research focuses on landscape architecture history and theory, as well as garden design and its modernisation.