Asian gardens – bridges

GardeningVet — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 06:59:23 +0000

If you look at the larger Asian gardens, you will notice that they have these bizarre looking zig-zag bridges, often made of concrete but it can also be wooden. I guess the theory behind these would be that it’s not a ‘straight’ up and over type bridge which we are often accustomed to and that at the end of one section of the bridge, you can pause in that corner to look at the view from that angle. So in other words, the zig-zag pattern actually forces you to amble through the bridge slowly and not just go straight through it. There is also a religious connotation (Feng Shui) aspect in such Asian garden bridges. The Chinese believe that evil spirits don’t like corners and they ALWAYS move in straight lines ie in creating the zig-zag effect on the bridge, any ‘bad omen’ or ‘bad spirit’ would get so confounded that it would get ‘stuck’ in the middle somewhere and not be able to ‘get to the other side’ of the bridge. And the Asian garden often extends this meandering and curves into their garden landscaping – no direct paths from the driveway to the front door. Whilst these religious aspects of Feng Shui may not appeal to you, the curves in the garden does make it more appealing in my mind. It creates an aura of wonder – what’s just around that corner? And it makes gardening all the more interesting.

Gardening Tips » Asian or Japanese Gardens Landscaping

Asian gardens – bridges