高视尘外：明清江南园林登眺型假山台的仙山塑造

Artistic Conception of Immortal Mountains by Rockery Platform of Jiangnan Garden in Ming and Qing Dynasties

关键词:  风景园林  登眺  假山台  意象原型  台型仙山  营造手法

Key words:  landscape architecture  climbing for sightseeing  rockery platform  imagery prototype  platform-type immortal mountain  construction skill

摘要:

登眺型假山台是明清江南园林假山中重要的审美和体验对象，常引发文人置身仙境的审美想象。借助历史文献与图像，对相关假山台的意象原型进行分 析，认为其受到神话中台型仙山的影响，并梳理了台型仙山3个方面的基本特征，包括平阔可居的山顶台面、台沿高绝险峭和天象景致萦绕；进而结合图文史料及 现实遗存，从营造手法层面探讨登眺型假山台如何围绕3个基本特征来再现仙山造型及其“超越性”体验，以达到“高视尘外”的仙境想象。从而进一步丰富和完 善中国传统园林假山写仿仙境的议题，并为当代园林及假山的维护和实践提供有价值的参考。

Abstract:

In this paper, the rockery platform, as a common and essential structural component is discussed in the Jiangnan gardens of China, which played a defining characteristic of rockery construction to create a habitable and traversable spaces through partial since the late Ming Dynasty, and fulfilled the visitor's desire to ascend to a high vantage point and engage in the contemplative activity of surveying the surrounding landscape. Such experience, deeply cherished by the literati class, is frequently documented in historical texts concerning Ming and Qing Dynasty gardens, where it is often described as triggering a profound aesthetic imagination - the sensation of being transported to an ethereal celestial realm. By examining a selection of Ming and Qing Jiangnan garden rockeries that are both well-documented in historical records and possess extant physical remnants, the multidisciplinary approach is used to investigate the mechanisms behind this specific aesthetic response, including the cross-references historical literature, classical paintings, and architectural analysis of surviving structures, and incorporate scholarly insights from art history and religious studies concerning the conception and representation of mythical paradises in Chinese culture. The research is structured around two core analytical dimensions: 1) The derivation of an imagery prototype; 2) The deconstruction of construction methods. The findings indicate that the design philosophy behind these elevated viewing platforms was profoundly influenced by ancient myths and lore surrounding platform-type immortal mountains. These mythical peaks, often described as the core spatial domain of immortals, can be distilled into three fundamental characteristics: a vast, level, and habitable summit platform; precipitously steep and sheer cliffs demarcating the platform's edges, creating a sense of isolation and danger; and a perpetual ambiance infused with celestial phenomena such as swirling mists, enveloping clouds, and the palpable presence of the sun and moon. Guided by this archetypal imagery, garden artificers employed a repertoire of sophisticated techniques to replicate both the form and the experiential atmosphere of these mythical mountains. This was achieved by carefully shaping the rockwork to form a stable, accessible platform at the summit, engineering the edges to appear as dramatic, isolating cliffs that heightened the perception of being atop a lofty peak, and most importantly, skilfully composing vistas of the sky to incorporate dynamic celestial elements into the static garden scene. This synthesis of techniques aimed to evoke a "transcendental" experience, ultimately inspiring in the literati visitor the sublime aesthetic imagination of gazing down upon the mortal world from a realm beyond. Notably, this imitation was not merely formal but deeply phenomenological, seeking to capture the subjective feeling of transcendence associated with celestial abodes. The positioning of these platforms within the overall garden layout was of paramount importance, often positioned to maximize views of the horizon and sky while minimizing visual connections to the mundane world outside the garden walls. Through this sophisticated interplay of form, space, and embodied experience, the rockery platform transcended its materiality to become a powerful apparatus for spiritual and aesthetic transport. Consequently, this study elucidates the specific aesthetic principles and material practices that underpinned the construction of viewingplatform rockeries in Ming and Qing Jiangnan gardens, thereby significantly enriching the academic discourse on the replication of celestial realms in traditional Chinese garden art. It also offers valuable theoretical and practical insights for the conservation, restoration, and contemporary practice of classical Chinese gardening and rockery art.