A Study of Bamboo Culture in Naming of Private Garden Attractions of Ming and Qing Dynasties in Regions South of the Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

The study of bamboo culture in Chinese classical gardens is of great significance for carrying forward the excellent Chinese traditional culture and enhancing the cultural connotation of bamboo landscape in modern parks. While existing researches mainly focus on bamboo space construction and planting forms, there is few systematic study on bamboo culture in traditional private gardens from the evaluation perspective. This paper examines the naming of scenic spots of private gardens in the Ming and Qing dynasties in regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Based on literature review and field investigation, it probes into the bamboo landscapes, common title images, and the expressed spiritual connotations in these gardens. The result shows that bamboo was widely used in the naming of scenic spots of private gardens under review. The common images of the titles mainly expressed the recluse thought of Taoism, the moral comparison of Confucianism, the meditation of emptiness of Buddhism, and the folk auspicious thought. It reveals the philosophical view of the unity of nature and man among the literati, the religious view of the coexistence of the three religions, and the aesthetics suiting both refined and popular tastes in the Ming and Qing dynasties.