Analysis of the Influencing Factors in the Changes of Southern Song Garden Styles in Wuxing District

Qihong Mao
Thailand
Chakapong Phatlakfa
Thailand
Atipat Vijitsatitrat
Thailand
Keywords: Southern Song Gardens, Wuxing District, Cultural Landscape Theory, Style Evolution, Influencing Mechanisms
Published: May 21, 2025

Abstract

Background and Aim: Gardens of the Southern Song Dynasty represent an important facet of classical Chinese garden art, embodying the deeper evolution of social structures and cultural values. As a cultural hub in the Jiangnan region, Wuxing District’s garden style uniquely integrates literati aesthetics and religious symbolism, offering distinct research value. However, existing studies have largely focused on cities like Hangzhou and Suzhou, leaving Wuxi gardens systematically underexplored. Framed within Cultural Landscape Theory, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms influencing the stylistic changes of Southern Song gardens in Wuxing, responding to the central research question: How have political, economic, cultural, and religious mechanisms jointly driven the evolution of garden styles throughout history?


Materials and Methods: Taking Lotus Manor and the Temple of Longevity as representative case studies, this research integrates literature analysis, in-depth interviews (with nine residents and three experts), and field investigations. It systematically analyzes the phased evolution of garden styles across four dimensions: spatial layout, landscape elements, functional uses, and cultural imagery. The study also explores how the dynamic interaction among political, economic, cultural, and religious mechanisms shaped garden transformations over time.


Results: The study identifies a three-phase evolution of Southern Song garden styles in Wuxing: “open integration – privatization and simplification – functional reconstruction.” In the Southern Song period, gardens utilized natural topography and integrated poetic imagery with Confucian and Buddhist values. From the Yuan to the Republican periods, political instability and economic shifts led to more enclosed spatial forms and a rise in religious and residential functions. In the modern era, policy-driven cultural revival has led to the regeneration of gardens through the integration of traditional and modern elements. Politically, garden spaces became hierarchized; economically, material construction was shaped; culturally, literati ideals were preserved; and religiously, symbolic meanings were embedded. The interaction of these forces formed a dynamic chain of “structural promotion – symbolic generation – functional transformation.”


Conclusion: This study proposes a “Four-Mechanism Coupling Model,” grouping political and economic mechanisms under the “material–institutional” dimension and cultural and religious mechanisms under the “symbolic–spiritual” dimension, thus validating the applicability of the “material–spiritual–social” triadic structure of Cultural Landscape Theory. The model provides a theoretical framework for the renewal and contemporary expression of traditional garden styles and suggests activating the cultural vitality of historic gardens through community engagement and digital technology.

Article Details

How to Cite

Mao, Q., Phatlakfa , C. ., & Vijitsatitrat, A. (2025). Analysis of the Influencing Factors in the Changes of Southern Song Garden Styles in Wuxing District. International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 5(3), 835–850. https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2025.7471

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