CULTIVATING BEAUTY: THE ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF YANGZHOU GARDENS

Abstract

This article focuses on the garden culture and art of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, aiming to explore its unique spatial aesthetics and profound cultural connotations. Against the backdrop of urban modernization and cultural heritage preservation, the question of how traditional gardens acquire new interpretative pathways within visual culture has become a critical research topic. Adopting a mixed-methods research framework that integrates both qualitative and quantitative approaches, this study systematically examines the historical evolution, cultural artistry, and garden-making elements of Yangzhou gardens through literature review, field investigation, case studies, and questionnaire surveys. The primary objective is to analyze the developmental characteristics and design language of Yangzhou gardens from historical and artistic perspectives, and to further employ image turn theory to investigate the role of garden visual imagery in cultural meaning construction and contemporary expression. To achieve the research objectives, the study constructs an analytical framework centered on image representation, visual systems, and cultural symbolism, approaching the cultural functions of garden art from the perspective of image-space interaction. The findings reveal that Yangzhou gardens, through spatial organization, decorative elements, and symbolic imagery, constitute a highly visualized cultural narrative system. This system not only embodies the spirit of Eastern aesthetics but also conveys cultural memory and identity. The study provides a theoretical foundation and analytical pathway for the reinterpretation of traditional garden art in contemporary contexts.