Includes bibliographical references (p. 236-238) and index.

Western reactions -- The origins of gardens -- Imperial gardens -- The gardens of the literati -- The painter's eye -- Architecture in gardens -- Rocks and water -- Flowers, trees and herbs -- Meanings of the Chinese garden / Charles Jencks.

When The Chinese Garden was published in 1978, it was the first attempt in any language to explore the meanings that lie behind Chinese gardens. Now thoroughly revised and with new illustrations, it remains a classic of the subject. In a scholarly and accessible way, it traces the Chinese garden back through the earliest records, and explains its influence on, and how it was influenced by, philosophy, painting, architecture and literature. An exploration of Chinese culture, and how this culture manifested itself in the art of garden-making and design, The Chinese Garden provides unique insights into a great civilization and an intimate glimpse of the lives of the artists, scholars, poets and emperors who made it.