On Yuan-li (Hedgerow) Culture of Ancient China

This paper mainly focuses on the culture of " Yuan-li (Hedgerow)”, which is the main form of separation and enclosure landscape elements constructed in the periphery of farm houses, gardens and farmland in ancient China, integrating the architectural function, landscape function and practical function. The materials, cultivation and management, landscaping techniques and practical functions of " Yuan-li (Hedgerow)” have been documented in detail in agricultural literatures of ancient China. Ancient agronomy scholars and intellectuals who cultivate themselves within the process of farming embody in the " Yuan-li (Hedgerow)” the pleasure of being close to nature, the virtue of diligence and pragmatism, and the spirit of being soft and not offensive. Handed-down traditional intellectuals and poems are studied in this paper by historical and technological analysis to explain the techniques and practical functions of rural farm hedgerows, as well as moral sentiment and aesthetic feelings of the ancients. It can be concluded that the " Yuan-li (Hedgerow)” culture in ancient Chinese gardens reflects the origin relations between ancient Chinese landscape art and farming culture, and embodies the beauty of respecting nature and a spirit of " benevolence”. The ecological principles of interaction and mutual support among species are combined with the beauty of human settlements, which has unique cultural value.