聚会之地――中国文人的花园.docVIP

聚会之地――中国文人的花园 For centuries， the traditional Chinese garden has been an idyllic paradise and a source of creative inspiration for scholars and artists. In traditional Chinese culture， the garden is a place to discover one’s self. The garden serves as a place for self-cultivation， solitary contemplation， as well as for social or literary gatherings. For the first time， the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art displays its entire permanent collection of artwork celebrating these recurring themes in Chinese gardens. Maxwell Hearn （Metropolitan Museum Asian Art Department Head）： It introduces one thousand years of Chinese painting history， all focused on the theme of Chinese gardens， and how gardens have been an inspiration throughout the centuries. Another recurring theme focuses on how gardens serve as a venue for literary gatherings. This is best illustrated in the Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion―a hand scroll in ink and color on paper. It tells the story of a well-known calligrapher Wang Xizhi and his friends meeting at the Orchid Pavilion to hold a poetry competition. Cups of wine float downstream， as poets compose their verses by the meandering river. Maxwell： This legend， of this extraordinary outdoor gathering， was a terrific inspiration for later garden designers who often love to create these winding waterways. Water has a special symbolic meaning in a Chinese scholar’s garden. It represents the essence of life. Hence waterfalls and waterways in the garden symbolize the flow and rejuvenation of life. Likewise， rocks have a special meaning in traditional Chinese gardens. Four types of rocks are used in The New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden. These include 1）granite for building rockeries， 2）stalagmite for vertical accents， small goose egg-shaped pebbles on the walkways and the 3）mosaics of the courtyard， and the Tai Hu sculpture rocks. Rocks play an important role in Chinese poetry and landscape painting―a past time of the Chinese scholars as they seek 4）refuge