PublishedbyChinaBuildingMaterialPress,January2018
QianlongGardenisacollectionofboth“ritualmusicculture”and“seclusionculture.”
NingshougongGarden,locatedinthenortheasternpartofthePalaceMuseum,wasbuiltbetween1771and1776forEmperorQianlong(1711-1799)oftheQingDynasty(1644-1911),thelongest-livingChineseemperorinhistory.
Itistheonlyimperialgardenbuiltforprivateuseoftheemperorafterhisabdication.AnditsentiredesignandconstructionprocesswascompletedunderQianlong’sguidance,fullyshowcasingtheemperor’spursuitofpeaceofmindandinnertranquilityafterhisabdication.Thus,itwasalsocalledQianlongGarden.
Covering5,920squaremeters,QianlongGardenis160metersfromnorthtosouthand37metersfromeasttowestandrepresentsthepeakofgardeningtechniquesandartintheQingDynasty.
AccordingtoShanJixiang,directorofthePalaceMuseum,QianlongGardenwasbuiltinlimitedspaceandconditions.Bymakingoptimaluseofaxisdislocationandspacetransformationmeasures,thearchitectsdesignedmorethantwentybuildingsofdiversestylesforthegarden.Thegardenfeaturesextraordinarydexterityandnoveltyinlayout,landscapinganddecoration.
Tofullyprotectthepreciousancientarchitecturalheritageandexploreandinherittheconstructionandrepairskillsofancientbuildings,thePalaceMuseumcooperatedwithBeijingTsinghuaTonghengUrbanPlanningandDesignInstitutetojointlylaunchtheQianlongGardenResearchProtectionProject.
Lastingfrom2007to2014,theprojectmadeextensiveuseofmodernsurveyingandmappingtechnologytocompletedetailedmappingandathree-dimensionalvirtualreproductionofQianlongGarden,whichwasawardedthesecondprizeinscienceandtechnologyprogressbytheChineseSocietyofLandscapeArchitecturein2014.
Thisbookisbasedontheproject’sachievementsindigitalmapping.ShanJixiangwrotethepreface,inwhichhepointedoutthatChinesepalacearchitectureandChinesegardenarchitectureeachrepresentanancientChineseculturalsystem.Theformerrepresents“ritualmusicculture”characterizedbyorderandstandardization,whilethelatterisa“seclusionculture”advocatingnatureandnon-action.QianlongGardenisacollectioncombiningboth“ritualmusicculture”and“seclusionculture.”
AuthorWangShiwei,alsonotedintheprefacethatQianlongGardenisnotonlyabeautifulprivategarden,butalsostaysinharmonywiththeatmosphereoftheimperialpalace.Thetwostylesareingeniouslycombined.
Co-author,HuJie,wroteinthebook’spostscriptthatthethreedimensionalinformationachievementsmadewithmodernsurveyingandmappingtechnologynotonlyplayedanimportantroleintheresearchonChineseclassicalgardens,butalsoexertedadeepinfluenceontheeducationsystemthatwillguidefuturegardendesign.
WangShiwei,chiefengineerandresearcheroftheancientarchitecturedepartmentofthePalaceMuseumanddeputydirectorandsecretary-generaloftheChinaHeritageConservationTechnologyAssociation,wontheAwardofExcellenceoftheUNESCOAsiaPacificAwardsforCulturalHeritageConservationin2010.
HuJieisvicepresidentofBeijingTsinghuaTonghengUrbanPlanningandDesignInstitute,seniorengineerofTsinghuaUniversity,directoroftheChineseSocietyofLandscapeArchitectureandlifetimefellowoftheAmericanSocietyofLandscapeArchitects.HisresearchfocusesonthesustainabledevelopmentofChinesecities.Abird’s-eyeviewofQianlongGarden.
A3D-scanpoint-cloudregistrationpictureoftheYizhaibuildingattheentranceofQianlongGarden.