“Dreaming of the Tiger” – Hupao Spring in Hangzhou, China. Chinese gardens are built not planted to be a solitary place or to be a place for “social contemplation of nature.” Chinese gardens are culturally important, serving as a semi-public extension of the house, meant for retreat, for festivity, for study of poetry, or even for romance. Photo #1 by Sh1019

Koi at Yuyuan Garden – China. Most Chinese gardens have a water feature like a pond and several offshooting streams, filled with goldfish, carp, or mandarin ducks. The water is calming while reflecting the constantly changing sky above, and the rocks are solid and unchanging. Chinese gardens are places with gorgeous beauty and offer cool and quiet serenity. Photo #2 by Brandon Fick

Garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Chinese gardens can have up to 17 essential elements. The more sensory input, the better. Photo #3 by Ken McCown

China’s famous West Lake. Photo #4 by Nat Krause

Hangzhou pagoda bridge in China. Chinese gardens are meant to be aesthetically pleasing to all the senses while managing to “create a sense of the infinite in the finite.” Photo #5 by Mlq4296

Hu Xueyan’s former residence in Hangzhou, China, was built in 1872. The garden is pretty cool. Even the rocks in Chinese gardens serve a purpose; the Chinese word for landscape, shan shui, means “mountains and waters” while making a garden means “digging ponds and piling mountains” (the rocks). Taihu rock represents wisdom and immortality. Photo #6 by Maros M r a z

Jichang Yuan Garden – China. Expect to see pagodas or pavilions in most Chinese gardens. Photo #7 by Iwanafish

Gardens of Shilin at Stone Forest, China. Photo #8 by mikeccross

Autumn in China’s Shixianglu. Photo #9 by Gil-Ggalad

Flower Basket Hall, Mountain-in-View Tower, and the Grotto in the Lion Forest Garden, China. Again you see the rocks to represent the mountains which some Chinese people consider a magical place. Photo #10 by Jonathan

Beihai Park is one of the oldest and most authentically preserved imperial gardens in China. The Bai Ta (White Dagoba), could be called the symbol of Beihai Park. The body of the Dagoba is made of white stones. It was built at the highest point on Qiong Island. The Dagoba has a height of over 131 feet (40 meters). Photo #11 by Dennis Jarvis

Chinese imperial gardens with the Summer Palace. Photo #12 by Jean Wang

Bonsai forest at the gardens of pagoda Yunyan Ta China. Photo #13 by Miguel A. Monjas

Li Garden in China. The photographer noted, “A pavilion inside Li Garden. Based o­n the Grand View Garden described in the Chinese classic, a Dream of Red Mansions, Liyuan Garden takes in much of the Chinese traditional garden architecture and integrates it with the feature of European and American villas of its time.” Photo #14 by Kevin Poh

Guess graffiti happens everywhere? Sword Pond on Tiger Hill is located near Suzhou, China. The photographer noted, “According to legend, beneath this pond lies a massive amount of treasure including 3,000 swords. The site hasn’t been excavated because of the giant leaning pagoda above it.Tiger Hill is a hill in Suzhou adorned with gardens and a giant leaning pagoda at the top. According to Chinese legend, King Helü is buried here and guarded by a white tiger.” Photo #15 by Jonathan

West Lake, Hangzhou, China. Photo #16 by Mlq4296

Yuyuan Garden, located in the center of the Old City next to the Chenghuangmiao in Shanghai, China, is considered one of the most lavish and finest Chinese gardens in the region. The photographer quoted Wikipedia, “The garden was reportedly first established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, during his father’s old age. Over the years, the gardens fell into disrepair until about 1760 when bought by merchants, then suffered extensive damage in the 19th century.” Photo #17 by Wolfgang Staudt

More of Yuyuan Garden: “In 1842, during the Opium Wars, the British army occupied the Town God Temple for five days. During the Taiping Rebellion the gardens were occupied by imperial troops, and damaged again by the Japanese in 1942. They were repaired by the Shanghai government from 1956-1961, opened to the public in 1961, and declared a national monument in 1982.” Photo #18 by Wolfgang Staudt

Yuyuan Garden looks like a wonderful and peaceful spot to reflect and relax. In reality, it is probably crowded with tourists. Photo #19 by Wolfgang Staudt

Beijing Canal Garden. A curved bridge is a classic used in many Chinese gardens. Photo #20 by Herry Lawford

China’s Heilong Tan Park, Lijiang. The clear sky and calm water make this a beautiful view. Yu Long Snow Mountain at the background. Photo #21 by Choh Wah Ye