The Paving Patterns of Liu Fang Yuan 流芳園

Begonias and Fungi 海棠芝花式

The quatrefoil forms that are the foundation of this pattern evoke abstracted begonia blossoms. The black, cross-like designs that connect the larger begonias are commonly called “lingzhi mushroom blossoms.” In premodern China, lingzhi mushrooms (Ganoderma spp.) were eaten in hopes of attaining immortality. This fungus continues to be used in contemporary Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Swastikas and Begonias 卍字海棠式

The quatrefoil forms of this pattern evoke abstracted begonia blossoms. The curved lines of tile that link them are swastikas—ancient Indian symbols that likely were introduced to China through Buddhism. They signify the “myriad” or “infinite” and often appear in blessings for long life.

Overlapping Hexagons 套六角式

This is one of the simplest paving patterns found in Liu Fang Yuan. It derives from a design recorded in The Craft of Gardens (Yuan ye 園冶), composed in the early 17th century.

Octagons and Olives 八角橄欖景

This is the most complex paving pattern in Liu Fang Yuan. The design is laid out on a strict grid, which gives it a sense of formality. Such formality is appropriate to the space where the pattern appears—the courtyard in front of the Flowery Brush Library (Bi Hua Shu Fang 筆花書房), the garden’s largest building. The pattern’s elongated hexagons evoke Chinese olives (the fruit of Canarium album).

Overlapping Squares and Coins 套方金錢式

Premodern Chinese coins were round but pierced with a square hole. This combination is sometimes seen as signifying the unity of heaven (round) and earth (square).

Soft Brocade and Swastikas 軟錦卍字式

The curved clay tiles in this pattern give the impression of the folds in a soft textile. The cross-like lines where they intersect form swastikas, ancient Indian symbols that likely were introduced to China through Buddhism. They signify the “myriad” or “infinite” and often appear in blessings for long life.

Cracked Ice and Plum Blossoms 冰紋梅花式

The white, five-petaled flowers in this pattern are seen as the blossoms of the flowering plum tree (Prunus mume), which blooms in the snow and ice of early spring. The angular, geometric forms that surround the blossoms evoke cracks in ice. The same pattern appears in other artworks, including ceramics. In Liu Fang Yuan, this pattern is used in many of the pathways that link the garden’s courtyards and pavilions.

Hexagons and Cracked Ice 六角冰紋式

The spiraling triangles surrounding this pattern’s hexagons evoke the cracks in ice. Similar triangular ice appears in the latticework screens of the Clear and Transcendent Pavilion (Qing Yue Tai 清越臺), as well as on many premodern ceramics. 

Swastikas 卍字式

The swastika is an ancient Indian symbol that likely was introduced to China through Buddhism. It signifies the “myriad” or “infinite” and often appears in auspicious blessings for longevity. This pattern is named for its linear forms created with fragments of tile (rather than for its cruciform shapes filled in with rock shards).

Random Rocks 亂石式

This paving is composed simply of shards of crushed limestone. Some artisans claim that this style of pavement is most difficult to execute because it lacks a fixed pattern. It is used on many of the pathways in Liu Fang Yuan.

Tiger Skin 虎皮石

Flagstone is known as “tiger skin stone” in Chinese. The irregular patterning is sometimes likened to broken chunks of ice.

May You Have Honor and Longevity without End (gui shou wuji 貴壽無極)

This stone panel is carved with depictions of a bough of sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans) and a branch of flowering peach (Prunus persica). The image represents a visual pun involving the names of the plants, their symbolism, and the time of their blossoming. Together, they convey the wish that “you will have honor and longevity without end.” 

Explanation: The name of sweet olive (gui 桂) is pronounced like the word “honor” (gui 貴), while peach is a common symbol of longevity (shou 壽) in China. Sweet olive and peach bloom at opposite times of year (fall and spring, respectively), so together they create a cycle “without end” (wuji 無極).

May You Pass the Series of Exams One after Another (lu lu lian ke 路路連科)

This stone panel depicts a heron among lotuses and reeds. The pronunciation of the names of the different motifs expresses the hope that you will “pass the series of exams one after another.” In the past, such a wish was especially meaningful to the children of educated families, who often sought to gain a position in the imperial government by taking a series of local, provincial, and national exams.

Explanation: The word for lotus (lian 蓮) is pronounced like the word “series” (lian 連), while lotus seeds (ke 顆) are pronounced like the word for exams (ke 科). Heron (lu 鷺) and reed (lu 蘆) together are pronounced like the phrase “one after another” (lu lu 路路).