Jiaming Huang's landscape travel blog
Walking the imperial gardens of Beijing and the literati gardens of Suzhou — a journal kept in photographs, field recordings, film and writing.
Three journeys, one thread of water
From the hydraulic grandeur of the Summer Palace to the courtyard intimacy of Suzhou, each journey is a separate entry — with its own sounds, films and photographs.
An interview with landscape architect Li Weimin, twelve field recordings from the imperial water system, five short films and a photographic walk across Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake.
Eighty-four photographs from the classical gardens of Suzhou — whitewashed walls, leak windows, tiled eaves and pavilions over still water — arranged as six visual themes.
An essay on psychological healing through sensory perception in the water- and culture-centred spatial systems of northern Chinese gardens — with field photographs from both journeys.
Moments from the road
A glance ahead — lilies at the pond edge, lattice light, moon gates and tiled eaves.
About the author
I am Jiaming Huang, a student of landscape and gardens. This journal gathers two summers of fieldwork: the imperial water system of northwest Beijing — the Summer Palace, its hills and the Fragrant Hills — and the classical gardens of Suzhou.
Photographs, sound and film are recorded on site; the written reflection asks how these spaces heal — how water, enclosure and cultural memory work on the body and the mind.