The Tradition of Spiritual Continuity: the Reconstruction of Suzhou's Inept Administrator's Garden Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

This thesis investigates Suzhou’s Inept Administrator’s Garden, especially its modern perception as the finest specimen of Chinese tradition. Although widespread, this claim accepted by authoritative organizations and Literati Garden scholars is rarely deconstructed and investigated and requires more nuanced to be added to be fully valid. By looking at the garden’s appearance across history by comparing its initial design in the Ming Dynasty by Wu School Artist Wen Zhengming and its modern appearance constructed by 1950s Suzhou Literati Garden Reconstruction Committee. it is physical inauthentic. However, investigation reveals both groups intended to maintain the sense of inept (拙 zhuo) through garden design. The paradox hence arises: How can a garden embed literati’s aspirations and the Ming Dynasty tradition when it is not even physically authentic?

This thesis aims to tackle this paradox by comparing Wen Zhengming’s Garden of Inept Administrator to the modern Inept Administrator’s Garden and claim that the apparent disconnect between the modern Inept Administrator’s Garden and its depiction in paintings from the time of its creation demonstrate that contemporary Chinese ideas of authenticity when it comes to built space and objects relies on a continuity of spirit rather than any direct physical continuity.

To investigate the garden’s initial appearance intended by Wen Zhengming, a formal analysis is performed on his painting Garden of the Inept Administrator, specifically focusing on his arrangement of formal elements, the figure’s placement and actions, and the exclusion of stone rockeries. To analyze the 1950s reconstruction committee’s decisions that resulted in the modern garden, summer field research, an interview with the reconstruction director, and a secondary literature review are used.

Upon delineating the disparities between the original designer's intentions and the choices made by modern-day restorers, the paper will explore the reason underlying the differences between the garden’s appearance in the Ming Dynasty and its current look. This will eventually explain how a Chinese garden continues to embed Chinese tradition despite its “formal” and “material inauthenticity.”

Table of Contents

 

Table of Contents

Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Chapter 1: Wu School Paintings and Garden Designers’ Intentions --------------------------- 8

The Chinese Approach to Art -----------------------------------------------------------------8

Zhuo Through Formal Arrangements ------------------------------------------------------- 9

Zhuo Through the Arrangement of Human Figures and Actions ----------------------- 13

Zhuo Through the Arrangement of Stone Rockeries ------------------------------------- 15

Chapter 2: Comparison Between the Painting and the Current Garden --------------------- 19

           The Plantain Railing in the Current Inept Administrators’ Garden --------------------- 20

Comparing the Eight Panels with the Current Garden ------------------------------------ 21

Recreating the idea of Zhuo in Modern Times --------------------------------------------- 25

Chapter 3: Spiritual Continuity Over Physical Resemblance ----------------------------------- 28

           Abstractness As the Paramount Standard --------------------------------------------------- 28

           Xieyi’s Role in Illustrating Painting’s Abstract Essence ---------------------------------- 30

Spiritual Continuation As the Chinese Tradition -------------------------------------------31

           Counterargument: Conveying Spirituality Through Physical Representation --------- 34

Rocks as Physical Embodiments of Spirituality --------------------------------------------35

Conclusion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

Figures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41

Bibliography ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50

 

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Art History
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Art History Architecture Asian Studies
Keyword	Literati Garden Reconstruction Ineptitude Suzhou Tradition Suzhou Garden Authenticity Philosophy Spiritual Continuation Chinese Garden Daoism Philosophy
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Guangchen Chen, Emory University Andrew Ward, Emory University
Committee Members	Tonio Andrade, Emory University Linda Merrill, Emory University

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