CHINESE AND JAPANESE GARDENS: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Suzanne Perrin, independent lecturer, Arts Society, United Kingdom
Wednesday 28–Friday 30 January 5.00 pm COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173
Referencing the work of Emeritus Professor Wim Tijmens, this course will discuss Chinese and Japanese gardens, their traditions and divergence in construction, location, plants and philosophy. Some of the most beautiful gardens were created in the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. The nobility created Kaiyushiki or ‘strolling’ gardens to impress, explore, to entertain guests and to provide diversions. The scenic views encompassed temples, shrines, boating lakes, pavilions and grottos, as well as exotic flora and fauna.
On a much smaller scale, the scholar gardens of Suzhou created intimate spaces with complex walkways and stone constructions, with rocks and pools emulating mountainous scenery to inspire painting and poetry among the literati. These were symbolic gardens of great depth in a small space, bringing calm and tranquillity to busy cities.
Chinese and Japanese tea culture provided an important ritual for social interaction. The philosophy and practice were different for each country, but the basis was the same – to create an environment for tranquil exchange, where host and guest were equals within the tearoom. The tea garden was the journey towards the tea house, in preparation for the shared ritual to come.
Readings will be given from Professor Tijmen’s recollections and stories on his travels to China and Japan and clips will be shown of his journeys in Bhutan and China.
Lecture titles
- Parkland estates, palaces and playgrounds
- The scholar’s garden: gardens of the mind and contemplation
- Tea gardens: a garden within a garden
Recommended reading
Itoh, T. 1984. The Gardens of Japan. Burlington: Kodansha.
Kilpatrick, J. 2014. Fathers of Botany: The Discovery of Chinese Plants by European Missionaries. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Nose, M. 2002. The Modern Japanese Garden. USA: Tuttle Publishing. Wang, JC. 1998. The Chinese Garden. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575462639