Date of Graduation

Spring 5-16-2024

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies (MAPS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Asia Pacific Studies

First Advisor

Professor Genevieve Leung

Second Advisor

Professor Mei-Chen Michelle Pan

Abstract

Under the influence of industrialization and urbanization, urban people nowadays are increasingly alienated from nature. Manipulated by algorithms, more and more urban people immerse themselves in the online world rather than paying attention to the offline environment that surrounds them. What’s worse, in such a process, they are becoming increasingly indifferent to their senses and bodies. Many pre-modern cultures have an attitude of closeness to nature, and such an attitude is reflected in some cultural heritages that have survived to this day, such as classical gardens. The design of classical Chinese gardens is deeply influenced by traditional Buddhist and Daoist philosophy, especially their ecological views. There have been many studies on the natural and philosophical elements in classical gardens. However, there is still a need for more discussion on how the natural elements and traditional philosophical elements in these gardens have an impact on visitors' view of nature. I try to fill this gap in my research. I use the methods of literary analysis and a corpus of images that relate to classical Chinese gardens in Suzhou to analyze this topic. I analyze the manifestation of traditional philosophy in the details of classical garden design, how visitors enhance their sensory sensitivity to subtle natural beauty in classical gardens, how they regain awareness of the change of seasons and weather in classical gardens, as well as the publicity adopted by classical garden tourism departments in order to attract tourists. The conclusion is that by appreciating the natural elements that are carefully arranged and displayed in these gardens, people can gain a new understanding of the beauty of nature from such an immersive experience, as well as establish a more intimate connection with their senses and thus with their bodies. As a result, visitors can gradually cultivate a sense of responsibility for protecting the ecological environment and hone their sensorial awareness.

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