The Genius Loci of Chinese Shuyuan from the Perspective of Confucian Culture

Abstract

As the core place for scholars to pursue studies, give lectures, and cultivate themselves in the later period of Chinese feudal society, the genius loci of Shuyuan is rooted in the soil of Confucian culture, presenting a unique character of the symbiosis of ritual order and natural interest, and the integration of moral enlightenment and life freedom. Traditionally, there are usually both garden landscapes and high walls in Shuyuan. The garden symbolizes natural will and life liberation, while the high wall represents humanistic order and behavioral norms. Seemingly opposite, the two are organically unified in the academy space. Taking the site selection, environment construction, architectural regulations, and cultural symbols of Shuyuan as analytical dimensions, this paper reveals how the academy space carries the value pursuit of Confucian self-cultivation, scholarship, and preaching through the construction logic of “residing in a scenic place”, “managing water and planting trees”, “complementing ritual and music”, and “harmony between man and nature”. It also explains how traditional Chinese literati architecture achieves a spiritual balance between ritual constraints and natural affinity, providing a theoretical perspective for understanding the cultural connotation of traditional educational spaces.