Remembering the enchanted world of southern Chinese courtyards

World
Europe

03:37

I am a 400-year-old wisteria from Zhuozheng Yuan, or the Humble Administrator's Garden in Su Zhou of east China's Jiangsu Province. The man who planted me here is named Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), a romantic artist, and a representative of Wu School Painting.

Time flies, and sometimes the past 400 years seem transient to me, and the garden is all that remains in my memory.

My home is different from the royal gardens you usually see in Beijing, such as the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, which are impressive with their grand scale and solemn style.

File of wisteria blossoming. /VCG Photo

Private courtyards in southern China are usually small but delicate. Everything in the garden forms a small eco-system of its own, with the landscape no less appealing than the natural view.

It is during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when southern Chinese area, known as Jiangnan area, became prosperous in both economy and living conditions that people, especially the scholars, officials and merchant princes gathered there started to pursuit a better living condition.

They built their own gardens, trying to combine the natural landscape, culture and art into them, therefore making what were known as Suzhou Gardens.

Wisteria blossoms in Zhuozheng Yuan, or the Humble Administrator's Garden in Su Zhou city, Jiangsu Province, China. /VCG Photo

Nowadays, Suzhou Gardens are typical representatives of the southern Chinese gardens, and has also become the aesthetic peak of Chinese classical gardens.

My home, the Humble Administrator's Garden, is a perfect combination of artificial hills and waters. The two have formed a unique style, with every single view seems connected with another, and the whole garden is extending with endless views.

From my point of view, I could only see a small part of the whole garden. But the views here are never to be perceived at one glance, instead, it is a space with different layers.

Therefore, I love the early spring days, when my petals would be swirling around the gardens in breezes and I would take a view of the whole garden.

Zhuozheng Yuan, or the Humble Administrator's Garden in Su Zhou city, Jiangsu Province, China. /VCG Photo

Only in those days can I experience what a beautiful and enchanted place I've been living in.

I blossom every year in the spring, and it is also the time when people are longing to meet me. 400 years ago, Wen Zhengming would come to see me every spring. Sometimes he wrote poems or paint for me, while other times, he just sat there as a company.

In fact, I've been looking forward to meeting you as well my whole life, not only in the spring, but also in every season, be it warm or cold, rainy or snowy.

Cover image by Gao Hongmei