Gardens put history and culture in perspective

The beauty of classical designs casts its influence on modern architecture beyond China, reports Peng Yining.

When he was designing the garden for architect I. M. Pei's Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing in 1983, Liu Shaozong could see the image of classical gardens in Jiangsu province in his mind.

Liu first saw the gardens in 1952, when he was a senior student at the architecture school of Tsinghua University and went to Jiangsu to sketch historical sites.