Abstract:The period of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties marks the first pivotal stage in the development of classical Chinese gardens following their inception. During this era, significant advancements were observed in the types and content of gardens, as well as in garden-making techniques. Particularly notable was the trend toward the gardenization of manorial estates, a development influenced by multiple cultural factors such as the ethos of seclusion, the philosophies of Buddhism, Taoism, and Neo-Taoism, and the flourishing of landscape literature. To systematically reveal the evolutionary characteristics of these estates and their relationship with gardens, this study employs a historical comparative approach based on documentary and archaeological evidence. Through horizontal comparisons of estate cases from the Wei and Jin periods and a vertical comparison between Jingu Garden and the Tang-dynasty Wangchuan Villa, the analysis focuses on dimensions such as construction purposes, functional structures, and artistic conception. The findings indicate that estates during the Wei and Jin periods served dual functions of production and seclusion. Early examples, represented by Jingu Garden, retained strong economic attributes, while later estates gradually shifted toward residential and spiritual purposes. These estates reflect their owners' pursuit of poetic and pictorial imagery as well as an idealized living environment. The gardenization of these estates exerted a profound influence on the formation and development of later gardens, particularly mountain retreats.
