Architecture. Chinese gardens contain not just walls but buildings and pavilions as well. Most gardens have a large, formal building, situated over an elevated pond, that serves as a central gathering point. Small rustic pavilions often dot the perimeter of the garden. Other buildings create the complexity of spaces that make up the garden.   Trees. In Chinese gardens, evergreens — especially pine, cypress, and bamboo — are the favored trees. These symbolize undying, unchanging strength and moral virtue. Deciduous fruit trees, such as plums or peaches, often serve as contrast to the evergreens, showing the “large in the small.” Chinese gardens tend to have few flowers and no lawn.   Miniature Elements. Many Chinese gardens have a container garden, filled with miniature (or “bonsai”) versions of the full-sized plants in the garden. Container gardens help create variety in a small garden. In addition, the dwarf plants inside the container gardens appear magical or mythical because they are so different from their natural states. Container gardens have traditionally served to ward off evil as well.   Borrowed Scenery. Chinese gardens often rely on “borrowed scenery,” using a window or door or hole in the garden wall to frame the landscape beyond the garden. Then, the visitor in the garden sees the landscape outside the garden as a sort of picture within the garden. Borrowed scenery adds to the garden’s spiritual nature and its ability to help a viewer travel within himself or herself.   Stop here until your teacher tells you to turn the page.   Click to continue previewing the student version on screen. Home Journey Log Trade Topics People Profiles Index Ask the Eagle