Taihu Rock at the Chinese Garden.
The garden's magnificent rock formations are called Tai Hu stones, after Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province near Nanjing. Hu means "lake." For centuries, prized boulders of eroded limestone have been taken from Tai Hu. The sculptural Taihu rock is especially prized because it represents wisdom and immortality, and is only procurable from Tai Lake. These limestone rocks are hard but brittle. Those formed underwater are more precious, because of their fresh, soft color and their multiple, linked perforations produced from years of wave and water erosion. With their pale gray or ivory tint, Taihu rocks are usually large and are regarded as the best garden rocks. Inspired by the centuries-old Chinese tradition of private gardens designed for scholarly pursuits, Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance, combines the scenic beauty of nature with the expressiveness of literature to give deeper meaning to the landscape. Found in the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena California. Colorful koi fish glide through a shimmering lake. Chinese bamboo mingles with California live oaks. Artistic stone bridges, wooden pavilions and stone terraces are featured. Water (symbolizing the ever-changing) and rocks (the eternal) create harmony in the garden, balancing nature’s yin and yang. Weathered limestone rocks from Lake Tai line the water’s edge, evoking the craggy mountains of a Chinese landscape painting.
Size: 3427px × 5120px
Location: Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, Pasadena, CA, USA
Photo credit: © jpham / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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