The Chinese Garden
Nestled in the heart of Montréal Botanical Garden is the Dream Lake Garden, an authentic Chinese garden inspired by the private gardens popular in the southern Yangzi River region during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
This garden is unique. Rustic and asymmetrical at first glance, it was nonetheless created according to a rigorous esthetic principle. It is both a place of contrast and harmony. The spatial organization and pavilions' architecture, the selection of plants and minerals, the water and the contrast of yin and yang are all expressions of the secular principles of the Chinese art of landscape design.
Chinese gardens play havoc with perspectives and Western conventions. Their components are laden with great metaphorical meaning. A designer reproduces nature not by imitating it, but rather by interpreting it, by creating a three-dimensional portrait. Shapes and masses are used to achieve contrast and arouse emotion.
The harmony of a Chinese garden is achieved by four major elements : plants, water, stones, and architecture.
Image panoramique 360o en QuickTimeVR (183 et 172 Ko)
