Literati Family Gardens in Shaoxing County in Late Ming Dynasty

Gardens of Shaoxing county in the late Ming Dynasty presented extensive gardening practice and a high artistic level as a whole. However researches in related fields were deficient in-depth and breadth. This research cites private gardens of the Zhang, Qi and Tao families as examples to explore the background and significance of the thriving family gardening culture in Shaoxing in the late Ming Dynasty. The result reveals that literati families in Shaoxing were the main promotors of the gardening practice and developed gardens of distinctive features as a result of generations of efforts. It has also found that the communication and interactions among these literati families enriched the garden culture of the late Ming Dynasty, leaving a far-reaching geographical impact.