Traditional Chinese gardens are held in high esteem in the history of Chinese culture. As a form of art, they arose from the fertility of ancient Chinese civilization, assembled and blended with the ideas and approaches of traditional Chinese painting and were also intimately related to poetry and music. They originated and developed over 3,000 years and were valued as a living environment with naturalistic beauty, meeting the sophisticated daily and socio-political needs of ancient garden owners.

The artificial hill is the Chinese garden's most unconventional, fascinating scenic feature, indispensable to its unique style. "Hill molding and rockery manipulation'" was a term in ancient China for garden construction-
There are usually three methods of hill molding in regard to the use of soil and rocks- The first type, the earth hill, is suitable for gardens with large tracts of land, such as those of the palatial gardens. It is often large enough to be cultivated extensively with plants that make it seem like a natural mountain. The second type is the composite use of soil and rocks. The third is the rock hill which is best applied in smaller constructions and in confined area. Artificial hills, both molded bills and rockery, are essentially structural garden components. They are built to stimulate the distilled and enhanced beauty of natural mountain views-peak, cliff, precipice, gorge, and cave, but are often asymmetric in shape, with a steeper slope on one end that contrasts with a moderate slope on the other. They also function to divide space, to screen, and to serve as foils for garden views. For instance, elegant sets of hills are often used as ornamental screens at garden gates or as very effective transitions between artifacts and the natural garden landscape. When organized appropriately in relation to other garden features, the hill is always the most appreciated art presentation of the Chinese garden.

According to historical records, rock collection was a sophisticated hobby for gentlemen and scholars as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. The use of rock in the Chinese garden can be traced bark to the Sui Dynasty. The love of rock came into vogue during the Tang period. Gardens in the city of Chang'an used lots of rocks hauled from Zhongnan Mountain. The 'grotesque" rocks used in Chinese gardens can be mainly divided into two kinds: the graceful and elegant light-gray lake rock and the sturdy and staid Mt. Huangshan rock, each with its own individual style. The lake rock is the highly prized variety quarried from the shores and bottom of the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province. Ii is limestone eroded by waves, with irregular shapes and sculptured cavities and holes. The aesthetic criteria established fur excellences are that the rock be perforated, slender, and corrugated. The yellow rock appears more geometrical and angular in form- As it is available within almost all the territories of China, yellow rock compositions are extensively used. These arrangements are characterized by an air of majestic magnificence. A good example is the hill of the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai.
Rockery presentations are expected to evoke personal feelings through abstract beauty that inspires the unlimited enjoyment of reminiscence and thus allows for different interpretations, varying with moods or perspectives, as do the changing clouds in the sky.

Water is as important in creating moods and emotional appeal in the garden as eyes are in the human face. In building a garden in ancient China, sources of water were the essential site-selecting factor. Natural springs and wells were often the main sources) some ponds were connected with rivers; and when water supply was totally absent in a garden site, rainfall water was collected from the gutters of nearby buildings to fill small ponds. The water surface is often found boldly dominating an area exceeding more than half of the entire garden. To be precise, in Beijing's Summer Palace, water surface dominates up to 3/4 of its plot, and the central pond occupies 3/5 of the total garden area and over 80% of the buildings are along the watercourses in the Garden of the Humble Administrator.
The Chinese have many clever and different ways of playing with reflection on water, which greatly contributes to the individual garden's intended character. A water pavilion commanding water scenes in different directions, boat like building berthing by a corner of a large pond, walking galleries meandering along the embankment, tiny bridges with streamlets running under them, and grotesque rocks and exotic flowers dotting on all sides are typical water scenes of Chinese gardens. A body of water most effectively unifies the garden by focusing the observer's attention on itself as well as on the features around it and provides beholders a pleasing serene and fascinating world for their enjoyment.

Greatly different from that of Western gardens in which architecture is not even taken as a component, architecture predominates over plant life in the Chinese garden scene and there is no Chinese garden devoid of architecture.
In China, a series of genuine garden architectures evolved and crystallized through thousands of years of practice. A large variety of building types was developed to fit particular situations in the garden as well as to facilitate daily and occasional needs of habitation' Each building type has an individually characteristic form of its own —with special size, proportion, and details that yield to modification without losing their individuality.
The disposition and design of garden architecture arc guided by dual criteria: architecture functions both as a viewing point and as part of the garden scene.
Garden architecture, in general, takes the form of open shelters and defines space from overhead without blocking up the continuity of space. The columns and beams of the open shelters serve as picture frames that focus and greatly enhance the magnificence of garden scenes. Lingering Garden in Suzhou is one of the many excellent examples. The Chinese garden architecture in composed of many types of building, among which the following are the main ones:

The main hall, which is sometimes called the flower hall to distinguish it from the main hall of the traditional courtyard yard house, is a sizable structure with a comparatively lofty space occupying a key position as the accent of the garden composition and the centre for activities held in the garden. It is south-oriented and has a relatively formal appearance according to tradition. It could be fenestrated on all sides or walled on two or three sides to cope with the scenic dispositions around it.
Pavilion The pavilion, small in size and varied in form, is the basic and ubiquitous feature of the Chinese garden. Being light and open, the pavilion acquires the ideal form of garden architecture- It is interspersed with scenic views, blends well into the naturalistic landscape, and at the same time, and serves as a sheltered vantage point commanding views in all directions. Pavilions are usually built free-standing on a hill hide, half hidden in groves or a rockery, or on the watercourse. They can be cut in half, connected with galleries, and attached to a wall. The plan of a pavilion can be square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, circular, fan-shaped, or any shape selected by the designer.
The roof further contributes to the structure's fascinating appearance with its vast variety of shapes and styles. Pyramidal, conical, hipped, half-hipped and half-gabled roofs are the most popular ones.

As a sizable building, it is usually avoided in private garden- It is mostly limited to two stories, with diminished ceiling height, in order to maintain a proportional relation with the surrounding space and garden features. It is most often located in remote corners of the garden to avoid overpowering the garden with building mass. The positive use is to provide an elevated viewing point with a wide sight range for enjoying scenes.

A garden tower can be either one or two stories but is always raised in position, sustaining a floating appearance, and most often fenestrated on four sides to provide viewing opportunities in different directions. Walking gallery Connected with paths, bridges, or garden buildings, the gallery is a prime garden touring route and a most spectacular building type in the Chinese garden. It also serves as a space-confining device. While dividing, it unites the different scenic sections by being open and unobstructive, greatly adding to the depth and sequence of the garden views. It tends to be long and crooked, undulates horizontally and vertically with the land contour, and ascends freely upon a hill or flies dramatically over a water-course.

The bridge, doing double duty, is carefully located and designed both to command a view of the water scene around it and as a decorative feature for the scenery. It is often erected along a touring route, giving diversity to the visitor who crosses a stream or gains access to an island. It is also a vantage point for viewing a waterfall or a stream of extraordinary Serenity leading to an imaginary fountain hidden in the woods, which increases curiosity and urges viewers to continue further in their trip beyond the bridge.
The forms of garden bridges are diversified and most of them are made of stone with simple but elegant design or with intricately carved patterns congruent with their surroundings. The simple plank bridge is preferred for a small span of water in a confined area. Over the larger ponds, bridges are broken up into segments in a zigzag form for a boiler sense of scale. In lakes of vast area, ornamentation is often better than simplicity, for articulate forms and eye-catching bright colors produce dramatic effects. Bridges with gorgeous pavilions and even clusters of pavilions, such as the Five-Pavilion Bridge in the Slender West Lake2 of Yangzhou, are appreciated as scenery as well as for the enchanting' picture frames that offset views in the vicinity. When a pond or lake is large enough for boating, an arched bridge with a graceful curvature is often erected to permit a boat to pass under it.
In short, the form and detail of bridges, like all other garden architecture, are designed to conform with the individual garden's general concept and the immediate surrounding context. Thus, innumerable types of bridges flourish in Chinese gardens.