Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden

The entrance and gift shop for the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden are located in one of the landmarked Second Empire Victorian cottages located on Cottage Row. The Center has audio and video presentations to acquaint the visitor with Chinese culture, as well as written materials that explain the meanings and nuances behind Chinese Scholar’s Gardens.

The gift shop features a unique selection of jewelry, home and garden accessories, stationary, books, children’s items and materials relating to the Chinese Scholar’s Garden.

Visitors may purchase entry tickets for the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden and the Connie Gretz Secret Garden at the Gift Shop. Want your wedding in the Scholar's Garden?, Want to know about tours?

History

Traditional Chinese gardens go back almost 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty though most Scholar's Gardens date back to the more recent Ming and Qing dynasties.

A Scholar's Garden would have been built by a scholar or an administrator retiring from the emperor's court. It would have been an enclosed private garden always associated with a house which, in turn without its garden, would not have been considered whole.

This garden, designed and built by LAC, is enclosed by walls, a series of pavilions (eight in all), and covered walkways. These are all organized in an irregular manner to create in addition to the two major courtyards a series of six others of varying sizes.

The art of the Chinese garden is closely related to Chinese landscape painting - it is not a literal imitation of a natural landscape, but the capturing of its essence and spirit.

The parallel could be drawn to a Chinese hand scroll painting which as it unrolls, reveals a journey full of surprises and meditative pauses.

The enjoyment of the garden is both contemplative and sensual. It comes from making the most out of the experiences of everyday life, as such, architectural elements are always a part of a Scholar's Garden.

The painter's eye must be used to lay out the main architectural elements - the wall becomes the paper the rockery and plant are painted on. The structures playfully rise and fall, twist and turn and even "leave" the garden to take advantage of and even create a great variety of beautiful scenes.

To paraphrase the 15th century garden designer Ji Ching: "The garden is created by the human hand, but should appear as if created by heaven."