上海后花园 爱上海(探寻上海景点背后的花园美学)

Discovering the Garden Aesthetics behind the Shanghai Scenic Spot – Love on Shanghai

Shanghai, the financial capital of China, is also known for its beauty, culture, hospitality, and entertainment. This city is the epitome of beauty where modern buildings blend with historical spots, and mixture of multiple cultures give it a unique flavor. One of the characteristics that make Shanghai unique is the presence of various scenic spots and gardens, one of the best-known ones is the Love on Shanghai garden.

The History of Love on Shanghai Garden

The history of the Love on Shanghai garden dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In 1559, a wealthy family purchased a large piece of land in the Songjiang area and built two gardens, namely, Zhengjue Temple and Yuyin Mountain House. These two gardens were sitting opposite to each other at the edge of the Dianshan Lake.

During the Qing Dynasty, a family named Chen was the owner of the Yuyin Mountain House. This family had immense love for their garden, and they did everything to improve its beauty and make it a scenic masterpiece. The family invested a lot of money and time in its beautification, and the garden became known as one of the most harmonious and beautiful gardens in Shanghai. Hence, in 1874, the family renamed the garden as “Love On Shanghai” to honor its beauty and to promote it as a tourist spot.

The Beauty of Love on Shanghai Garden

The Love on Shanghai garden is sitting among the waterfalls of the Dianshan Lake. It is a large garden of over 10,000 square meters, with various halls, pavilions, and waterfalls. The garden has exemplary rock works that were designed and built by the famous artist Zhou Shangyang. The rock works contain beautiful carvings and sculptures that portray the scenes of nature. The stone used in the rockwork is of high quality and was brought down from Lake Tai, which is famous for its quality stones.

The garden also has a variety of trees, flowers, and plants, which gives it a distinct and colorful look throughout the year. The sights of the garden are tranquil, with several ponds, small lakes, and waterfalls filled with fish; the water in the ponds is crystal clear and reflects the image of the pavilions and halls.

Appreciating the Garden Aesthetics behind Love on Shanghai

The Love on Shanghai garden combines the concepts of Chinese gardens, including ingeniously creating natural landscapes out of rocks, water, and plants. The concept of Chinese Gardens relies on evolving the elements of a natural landscape, to stimulate its greatness, its beauty, and its capacity to provide an aesthetic experience, while developing this experience as the fundamental scenic concept of the Garden. Therefore, it is of no surprise that this garden has managed to manifest this concept through its design and through its ability to stimulate sensory experience through the union of smells, colors, and sounds.

Additionally, the garden's beauty lies in its ability to blend the natural environment and human culture, thus emphasizing the virtues of harmony and beauty. The layout of the garden tells a story of the history of the garden, along with the Chinese culture and tradition. The garden is an ideal place to enjoy peace, leisure and calmness, as well as its real, serene, and awe-inspiring beauty.

Conclusion

The Love on Shanghai garden can provide us with an opportunity to appreciate an understanding of the intrinsic relationship between humans and nature, which reflects the value of ecology culture and ecological design thinking. Moreover, it provides us with an authentic and serene experience, tranquility, and beauty all in one. The Love on Shanghai garden is indeed the best-kept secret of Shanghai, and a sight to behold.

The End