“The Place Famed for People, the Mind Illuminated by the Landscape”: the Pursuit of the Epitome and the Text Reconstruction of the Regional Monographs in the Qing Dynasty

Chinese gardens have a long history and a rich cultural heritage. In addition to their physical spaces, they have also left behind a wealth of written records that possess rich humanistic and social significance. This book focuses on the local garden monographs of the Qing Dynasty , taking writing practices of literary activities as a viewing angle to explore the process of constructing exemplary figures within garden texts, and to discover how the memory of garden spaces connects and links with local society.

Literati of the Qing Dynasty constructed local humanistic and historical paradigms through the compilation of garden monographs, using them to convey educational ideals. The interaction between gardens and people is not merely a one-way, purely subjective experience of construction and appreciation; it also carries interactive significance with the external society and public. This book aims to reveal the documentary value of Qing Dynasty garden monographs, as well as their significance in literary history and social cultural history. Beyond the perspectives of aesthetic appreciation and observation, it further contemplates the possible meanings presented by classical gardens at different levels of space, text, and memory, as well as the various aspects of the symbiotic and negotiating relationship between gardens and local society and cultural communities. It hopes to serve as a facet for exploring the themes of literature, culture, and thought among the literati of the Qing Dynasty.