Ideas of Chinese Gardens: Western Accounts, 1300-1860

385 Pages·2016·47.061 MB·English

by  Ursula Weiser (editor)

Ideas of Chinese Gardens
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PENNSTUDIESINLANDSCAPEARCHITECTURE
JohnDixonHunt,SeriesEditor
Thisseriesisdedicatedtothestudyandpromotionofawidevarietyofapproachestolandscape
architecture,withspecialemphasisonconnectionsbetweentheoryandpractice.Itincludes
monographsonkeytopicsinhistoryandtheory,descriptionsofprojectsbybothestablishedand
risingdesigners,translationsofmajorforeign-languagetexts,anthologiesoftheoreticaland
historicalwritingsonclassicissues,andcriticalwritingbymembersoftheprofessionoflandscape
architecture.
TheserieswastherecipientoftheAwardofHonorinCommunicationsfromtheAmerican
SocietyofLandscapeArchitects,2006.
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Ideas of Chinese Gardens
We ster n Accou nt s ,  –
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edited by
Bianca Maria Rinaldi
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
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Copyright(cid:2)2016UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsusedforpurposesofrevieworscholarly
citation,noneofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformbyanymeanswithoutwritten
permissionfromthepublisher.
Publishedby
UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104-4112
www.upenn.edu/pennpress
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
IdeasofChinesegardens:Westernaccounts,1300–1860/editedbyBiancaMariaRinaldi.
pagescm—(Pennstudiesinlandscapearchitecture)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-8122-4763-3(alk.paper)
1.Gardens,Chinese—China—History—Sources.2.Gardens—China—History—Sources.
3.Landscapearchitecture—China—History—Sources.4.China—Descriptionand
travel—History—Sources.5.Aesthetics,Oriental.6.Voyagesandtravels—History.
7.Travelerswritings—History.I.Rinaldi,BiancaMaria,editor.II.Series:Pennstudiesin
landscapearchitecture.
SB457.55.I43 2016
712(cid:2).60951—dc23
2015017211
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................... 1
CHAPTER1.MARCOPOLO(C.1254–1324)....................... 47
FromTheBookofSerMarcoPolo,theVenetian,Concerningthe
KingdomsandMarvelsoftheEast
CHAPTER2.MATTEORICCI(1552–1610) ........................ 52
FromNicolasTrigault,DeChristianaexpeditioneapudSinas
CHAPTER3.A´LVAROSEMEDO(1585/1586–1658)................. 57
FromTheHistoryofThatGreatandRenownedMonarchyofChina
CHAPTER4.JOHANNESNIEUHOF(1618–72).................... 61
FromAnEmbassyfromtheEast-IndiaCompanyoftheUnitedProvinces,
totheGreatTartarCham,EmperorofChina
CHAPTER5.JEAN-FRANC¸OISGERBILLON(1654–1707).......... 67
From‘‘Secondevoyage...enTartarie...enl’anne´e1689’’
CHAPTER6.LOUISLECOMTE(1655–1728)...................... 74
From‘‘LetterVI.TotheDuchessofBouillon.OftheEconomyand
MagnificenceoftheChineses’’
CHAPTER7.JEAN-FRANC¸OISGERBILLON(1654–1707).......... 79
From‘‘ExtractofaLetterfromF.Gerbillon,atPeking1705,Givingan
AccountofaCountryHouseoftheEmperorofChina’’
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vi (cid:2) CONTENTS
CHAPTER8.MATTEORIPA(1682–1746) ......................... 83
FromStoriadellafondazionedellaCongregazioneedelCollegiode’Cinesi
CHAPTER9.JEAN-DENISATTIRET(1702–68).................... 91
AParticularAccountoftheEmperorofChina’sGardennearPekin
CHAPTER10.WILLIAMCHAMBERS(1723–96).................. 112
‘‘OftheArtofLayingOutGardensAmongtheChinese’’
CHAPTER11.JEANJOSEPHMARIEAMIOT(1718–93)........... 121
From‘‘ADescriptionoftheSolemnitiesObservedatPe-kingonthe
Emperor’sMotherEnteringontheSixtiethYearofHerAge’’
CHAPTER12.JOHNBELL(1691–1763) .......................... 126
FromTravelsfromSt.PetersburginRussiatoDiversePartsofAsia
CHAPTER13.MICHELBENOIST(1715–74)...................... 131
From‘‘LettreduPe`reBenoista` MonsieurPapillond’Auteroche.
APe´king,le16novembre1767’’
CHAPTER14.FRANC¸OISBOURGEOIS(1723–92)................ 137
From‘‘Lettred’unmissionnaireaM.l’Abbe´ G.[Gallois]contentant
unerelationdesonvoyagedeCantona` Pe´-king.Pe´king,le
15Septembre1768’’
From‘‘Descriptiond’uneMaisondeplaisancedel’Empereur,
a` Yang-tche´ou,parM.Bourgois,selonsalettredenovembre1786’’
CHAPTER15.CARLGUSTAVEKEBERG(1716–84)............... 142
From‘‘AShortAccountoftheChineseHusbandry’’
CHAPTER16.PIERRE-MARTIALCIBOT(1727–80)............... 146
From‘‘LejardindeSe´e-Ma-Kouang:Po¨eme’’
CHAPTER17.JEANJOSEPHMARIEAMIOT(1718–93)OR
PIERRE-MARTIALCIBOT(1727–80)(ATTRIBUTED)............. 149
From‘‘RemarquessurunecritdeM.P**,intitule´:Recherchessurles
EgyptiensetlesChinois’’
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Contents (cid:2) vii
CHAPTER18.PIERRE-MARTIALCIBOT(1727–80)............... 155
‘‘EssaisurlesjardinsdesplaisancedesChinois’’
CHAPTER19.PIERRE-MARTIALCIBOT(1727–80)............... 182
From‘‘Observationssurlesplantes,lesfleursetlesarbresdeChine’’
CHAPTER20.GEORGELEONARDSTAUNTON(1737–1801) ..... 186
FromAnAuthenticAccountofanEmbassyfromtheKingofGreat
BritaintotheEmperorofChina
CHAPTER21.ANDRE´ EVERARDVANBRAAMHOUCKGEEST
(1739–1801)..................................................... 197
FromAnAuthenticAccountoftheEmbassyoftheDutchEast-India
Company,totheCourtoftheEmperorofChina,intheYears1794
and1795
CHAPTER22.JOHNBARROW(1764–1848)...................... 211
FromTravelsinChina
CHAPTER23.GEORGEMACARTNEY(1737–1806)............... 226
FromSomeAccountofthePublicLife,andaSelectionfromthe
UnpublishedWritings,oftheEarlofMacartney
CHAPTER24.CHRE´TIEN-LOUIS-JOSEPHDEGUIGNES
(1759–1845)..................................................... 231
FromVoyagesa` P´eking,Manilleetl’ˆIledeFrance,faitsdansl’intervalle
desann´ees1784a` 1801
CHAPTER25.FE´LIXRENOUARDDESAINTE-CROIX
(1767–1840)..................................................... 237
FromVoyagecommercialetpolitiqueauxIndesOrientales,auxIles
Philippines,a` laChine
CHAPTER26.PETERDOBELL(1772–1852) ...................... 241
FromTravelsinKamtchatkaandSiberia,withaNarrativeofaResidence
inChina
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viii (cid:2) CONTENTS
CHAPTER27.JAMESMAIN(C.1765–1846)...................... 244
From‘‘ReminiscencesofaVoyagetoandfromChinaintheYears
1792–3–4’’
CHAPTER28.JOHNFRANCISDAVIS(1795–1890) ............... 250
FromTheChinese:AGeneralDescriptionoftheEmpireofChina
andItsInhabitants
CHAPTER29.ROBERTFORTUNE(1813–80)..................... 255
FromThreeYears’WanderingsintheNorthernProvincesofChina
CHAPTER30.OSMONDTIFFANYJr.(1823–95).................. 259
FromTheCantonChinese;or,TheAmerican’sSojourninthe
CelestialEmpire
CHAPTER31.HENRYCHARLESSIRR(1807–72)................. 265
FromChinaandtheChinese
CHAPTER32.ROBERTFORTUNE(1813–80)..................... 270
FromAResidenceAmongtheChinese
CHAPTER33.CHARLESTAYLOR(1819–97) ..................... 276
FromFiveYearsinChina
CHAPTER34.ROBERTSWINHOE(1836–77) .................... 281
FromNarrativeoftheNorthChinaCampaignof1860
CHAPTER35.GARNETJOSEPHWOLSELEY(1833–1913)......... 291
FromANarrativeoftheWarwithChinain1860
APPENDIX.WILLIAMCHAMBERS(1723–96).................... 303
ADissertationonOrientalGardening
BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................. 343
INDEX.......................................................... 363
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................... 375
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Introduction
For seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europeans, China represented
bothanirresistiblemodelofreferenceandanexoticmodeofsophisti-
cation. Its culture, celebrated through widely read publications, and its
refined productsimportedtoEuropeheld anintensefascinationforWest-
erners and exerted significant influence on Western culture and taste.1 An
emblematiccaseofthatinfluencewastheconstantreferencetotheChinese
gardeninthescholarlydebateaccompanyingtheevolutionofWesterngar-
den aesthetics from compositions inspired by geometry to those inspired
bynature.2ReferencestotheapparentnaturalnessofChinesegardenswere
first cited in England, beginning in the last decade of the seventeenth cen-
tury, to support the reaction against the geometries of the French garden
style, as well as the development of the English landscape garden. The
importance of the Chinese garden as a model for Western gardens was
made explicit by the name given to the English landscape garden when it
was transposed onto French soil during the second half of the eighteenth
century:thejardinanglo-chinois.
In the diverse phases of the European landscape garden, knowledge of
the Chinese garden, or rather the idea of that garden, took its inspiration
from the accounts of Western travelers visiting China. Jesuits and other
missionaries,merchants,diplomats,casualtourists,andplanthunterspro-
vided Europe with their understanding of Chinese gardens through jour-
nals,letters,travelaccounts,missionaries’reports,andgeneraldescriptions
of China and its culture. These writings unveiled gardens characterized by
irregularityandadiffusednaturalness.Overtime,theyincludedanincreas-
ing wealth of details about the variety and surprising sequences of scenes
ofChinesegardens.3Basedon thetravelers’personalexperiencesofChina,
these accounts were considered authoritative sources on Chinese garden
design and offered literary support to the theoretical debate on the evolu-
tionofWesterngardenart.
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