Southeast Asian Gardens: History and Symbolism

This module will provide a historical introduction to Southeast Asian gardens, describe their situation and plan, and explore their aesthetic value (gardens as places of pleasure). Their philosophical significance (garden, microcosm, place of meditation) is equally important but less well known. Artificial gardens have existed in Southeast Asia (Sumatra, Java, Bali, Vietnam, Myanmar) since the seventh century. They contain Chinese and Indian influences, but exemplify a Southeast Asian view of the universe in microcosm. Gardens are a significant but overlooked medium of Southeast Asian symbolic representation. Persian, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese gardens will be invoked to provide context.