Lion Grove Garden: Between Reality and Illusion
Hello, and welcome to The Context. My name is Scott Pruett and I’m an anchor with NewsChina. With our podcast, we aim to provide insight into the current trends of modern China, allowing you to clearly see what’s happening today through a historical lens.
Today, we are going to introduce you to an ancient Chinese painting that was so highly prized by China’s longest-reigning emperor that it may have singlehandedly been somewhat responsible for every traditional Chinese garden you’ve ever seen.
“Heaven has paradise. Earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou.” This old Chinese saying is inspired by the natural beauty of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province and Hangzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province, both located along China’s southeastern coast. But since the painting we’re going to discuss today captures the scenery at a famous park in Suzhou, we’ll keep our focus there for now.
Even though tourism has generally taken a beating due to the pandemic in recent years, during this year’s National Day holiday, also known as Golden Week starting from October 1st, domestic tourism generated 287 billion yuan in revenue, that’s around US$40 billion from roughly 422 million domestic trips made here in China, according to the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Official recommendations have been emphasizing outdoor activities and avoiding large gatherings, and the public has adapted. Camping gear has flown off the shelves as families are opting for short trips to suburban parks and the countryside surrounding urban centers.
As one of the most beautiful cities in the whole country, it’s only natural that those who can visit Suzhou will do just that. After all, the famous Classical Gardens of Suzhou were added to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List in 1997. Known for its whitewashed houses and tree-lined canals, as well as the Classical Gardens themselves, the ancient city has long been a photographer’s paradise, and local statistics from Golden Week show that the city saw over 5.5 million trips during the holiday generating total revenue of 6.75 billion yuan, about US$948 million.
Throughout Chinese history, the gardens have been toured by senior officials, dignitaries, and many great men of letters. One frequent visitor was Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, which lasted from 1644 to 1911. Qianlong, who was the longest-reigning and longest-lived emperor in Chinese history ruling from 1736 to 1795, was himself a renowned calligrapher and connoisseur of fine art as well. And among the emperor’s large collection of paintings, one of his favorites is one that reveals his near obsession with the gardens of Suzhou.
The painting is called Lion Grove Garden and the artist’s name is Ni Zan. He was one of four master painters of the Yuan Dynasty some 300 years earlier than the Qing era. As soon as Qianlong took possession of the painting, it was preserved in his royal residence, also known as the Forbidden City, and topped his list of the finest collection of paintings and calligraphy works. And recently, it was among the priceless collection of cultural relics unveiled at the exhibition entitled “The Making of Zhongguo – Origins, Developments and Achievements of the Chinese Civilization” held at China’s Palace Museum.
Qianlong’s preference for a painting or piece of calligraphy can be judged from the number of seals he put on it. It seems the emperor was a big fan of various types of seals, with some being used for the identification of artworks and others merely for amusement. For a painting, the more seals, the higher the value. By this measure, Lion Grove Garden had the greatest value of all because it carried most stamps.
A wide array of seals of different periods are inscribed on this signature painting by Ni Zan who depicted few elements in the setting and left large areas of the paper untouched. The presence of white space is regarded as a distinct style of the artist. By contrast, there seemed to be not enough space for Qianlong; some seals were even stamped amid the trees, which has a certain negative impact to the overall composition of the piece.
Another behind-the-scenes story about the painting provides insight into why Emperor Qianlong liked it so much. The painter Ni Zan had participated in the planning and construction of the actual Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, where the painting originated.
Following the footsteps of his grandfather Emperor Kangxi, who reigned from 1661 to 1722, Qianlong made six trips to the southern part of China during his reign. But unlike his grandfather, Qianlong went there for sightseeing rather than any kind of field investigation as far as we know. And Lion Grove Garden, the birthplace of the masterpiece, was a must-see during these trips.
In its original form, Lion Grove Garden was a temple complex, but in the 400 years leading up to Qianlong’s era, it had become private property with quite a few changes in its shape and function. Despite these differences, the emperor’s interest in the painting, or at least in that type of garden, only grew with the passage of time.
In order to enjoy such splendid gardens whenever he wanted, Qianlong ordered the construction of similar gardens in Beijing and neighboring Chengde in Hebei Province. The garden in Beijing, though it’s long gone now, was situated inside Changchun Park near the Old Summer Palace where Qianlong, though he was quite young at the time, planned to live after he retired. The other one at Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei Province suffered severe damage during various wars in China though it has since been renovated by the local government.
On display at China’s Palace Museum, Ni Zan’s Lion Grove Garden is 28.3 centimeters high and a surprising 392.8 centimeters long, that’s nearly 13 feet, with large areas of blank space on the paper. I suspect the considerable space remaining on such a wide scroll was intentional and arranged in advance as that space is largely occupied with notes by some of the renowned figures of that time. Not only do the notes commemorate the sanctity of the gardens, but with the passage of time, they testify to the authenticity of the painting.
In addition to its highly aesthetic value, what further distinguishes this painting from others is that it was produced based on the real-life setting, which in turn, inspired the design of the two other real-life gardens.
The art of Chinese gardening reached its climax in Suzhou, which is home to some of the most outstanding traditional gardens, most notably the Lion Grove Garden depicted in Ni Zan’s painting, as well as the Canglang Pavilion, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, and the Lingering Garden.
Lion Grove Garden got its name from a number of rocks with shapes that seem to resemble lions. The garden was also home to some rare rocks collected by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty who lived from 1082 to1135; however, the emperor apparently spent too much time admiring art and building up his collection as his lack of focus partly led to the collapse of his kingdom.
As I mentioned, Lion Grove Garden was intended to serve as a religious temple, but the garden endured multiple renovations during various dynasties before becoming a private garden.
Now, let’s meet the artist Ni Zan. Born into an elite family, Ni Zan was raised well and received a rigorous education in fine arts. At home, an exceptional collection of artworks was available to him for study; he was also mentored by renowned artists who helped to sharpen his skills in painting and calligraphy. With a quality education and his own dedication, Ni Zan eventually became a huge success and was inarguably one of the best in the Yuan era. As one of the four master painters of his day and having been born in an area south of the Yangtze River where both Buddhism and Taoism were popular among the general public, Ni Zan was familiar with both religions and thus, it was he who was recruited to participate in the design of the Liao Grove Garden.
His high reputation aside, Ni Zan is also known for being obsessive-compulsive. He spent much time concerned about the sanitation of everything around him. It’s said that he changed clothes a few times a day and required multiple basins of fresh water when washing hair. Even some trees in his courtyard died from scrubbing the leaves too much just to be sure they were clean.
I’m not sure we can say he had the tortured soul of an artist as one might describe such things in today’s vernacular, but Ni Zan’s peculiar nature did indeed impact how his life unfolded. Instead of following the routine to take national exams and secure a good position in government, he stayed away from politics and led a secluded life. At the age of 50, he sold all his properties and spent the rest of his life painting and travelling around. On the bright side, it was during this chapter of life that Ni Zan developed his distinctive style and reached the climax of his career.
Shortly after he leaving home to pursue his art, Yuan authorities found him and put him in prison having accused him of failing to pay his taxes. Apparently, he had sold all his farmland so the government was unable to collect farm rents. While in prison, Ni Zan’s obsession with sanitation, as you can imagine, brought him a great deal of trouble. For example, he refused to eat whatever they brought him out of worries that the guards might have spat in it, even if it meant taking a beating.
Toward the end of the Yuan era, due to poor management by the government complicated by natural disasters, a series of peasant revolts broke out. Zhang Shicheng, one influential revolutionary leader, quite admired the talented painter and invited him over to paint. Without a second thought, Ni Zan turned down the much-anticipated offer and was once again beaten for his arrogance.
Despite his anti-social behavior, Ni Zan’s minimalist artistic style had profound influence on future painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In contrast to traditional paintings at that time, Ni Zan’s landscapes were sparse, and there was little presence of human figures as Ni Zan used his art to express what he valued most: solitude, elegance, and spiritual purity.
In 1373, 30 years after the garden was completed, Ni Zan was invited back to the garden, and it was then that he produced his signature work Lion Grove Garden, which included an introductory preface about the painting. Now, Ni Zan was known for his minimalist landscapes that were completely devoid of any human form, but in this painting, you can see monks and Buddhist statues. It turns out that Ni Zan did not abandon his usual style. In fact, as explained in the preface, the painting is a cooperative work by Ni Zan and another famous artist of that era, Zhao Yuan, who specialized in figure painting and was invited by the head monk of the temple to contribute his expertise.
Following the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Yuan was appointed as a court painter by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1368 to 1644. It was in the second year after the completion of Lion Grove Garden that both artists died. Zhao Yuan was beheaded for offending the emperor, though no details as to the reason for this have been revealed so far in surviving documents.
As for Ni Zan, it is presumed that he suffered an infection that led to a fatal case of diarrhea, and there is great speculation as to the cause. Some believe he refused to paint for the beggar-turned emperor Zhu Yuanzhang who, out of frustration and anger, humiliated Ni Zan by locking him in filthy places or even throwing him into a cesspit. Unable to bear such torture, Ni Zan died shortly thereafter.
The painting Lion Grove Garden became the last known work of the two great artists, as well as their finest. Because of its timeless beauty, not only can we appreciate what the garden looked like in the distant past, but the aesthetics of ancient Chinese gardens can be enjoyed today all over the world.
Well, that’s the end of our podcast. We want to thank our writer Song Yimin, translator Liu Junhuan, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.