[Photo by Lou Qingxi/For China Daily]

2. Rockeries

Excavating earth to make ponds or artificial hills was part of the designer's pursuit of natural beauty. When there was no readily available water source or low land within the garden, it became necessary to use hills and rocks as themes to accentuate the landscape.

During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the use of lake stones in rockery design became popular. The number of rockeries and the quality of each single rockery then became the sole criterion for evaluating the superiority of a garden.

Related: Protecting country's cultural treasures