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Walking into a Chinese garden, one cannot help but be enchanted by its unique oriental flavor; and walking in an atmosphere of tranquility and peace, one will discover something unlikely to be found in Western architecture – delicate and refined, complex and contained in its quietude. In contrast with natural scenery, the beauty of Chinese gardens lies in their combining culture and art into one. How did the classic Chinese garden take shape and develop? How many prototypes are there in Chinese gardens, what similarities do they share and how do they differ from each other? What experiences have been accumulated through the years of garden building, and what theories have been formed? Let’s walk into the Chinese gardens and take a closer look.