“We put thirty spokes together and call it wheel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
The utility of the wheel depends,
We turn clay to make a vessel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that
The utility of the vessel depends.
We pierce doors and windows to make a house,
And it is on these space where there is nothing that
The utility of the house depends.
Therefore, just as we take advantage of what is,
We should recognize the utility of what is not.”

The design of Chinese garden house is concerned only with space. Space organization and interior and exterior space relationship become “substance” in designing a Chinese garden house. All space-forming elements become absorb and immaterial for the supreme dominance of the pure and unadorned space or “void”. Contemporary architectural terms, such as balance, rhythm, proportion, are not fitly used to describe a Chinese garden house, for these terms are obviously pertain to the external form of architecture. Of course, space is achieved by form, however, just as in a Chinese painting, not the beauty of the brush lines but the content of the painting is the critical of judgment. So also the quality of a Chinese garden house depends on the character of the space, not on the external form itself. Thus, in a Chinese garden house, space itself is the major expression medium.

The space in Chinese garden house is human space. Being controlled in all dimensions: length, height, and width. The spaces in Chinese garden house are created in different characters and purpose according to man’s needs. For displaying owner’s social situation and fitting group activities, the space of main hall inside a Chinese garden house is always voluminous and formal, and at the same time, the space of a pavilion is small, free and opening, for it only be used as a place in which one can has a rest or mediation. For a Chinese garden has group layout instead of a massive many-story building. This design method provides more freedom or creating different scale and character space to fit the different practical functions. The garden space inside a Chinese garden house also focuses o third-dimensional experience. Garden space, like interior space of architecture, is concerned mainly on the dedicate tactical sense creating instead of pure external form making. Thus, selecting and using the proper textures of building materials is always the essential step during composing the space. From exposed wood structure inside the building, to the gray white walls, then to the natural texture of the stone inside Chinese garden scene, the appreciation of the texture is also a effect way to create unity between architecture and its surrounding, for their congruity or harmony in the spirit.

Even though the current extent and the physical aspect of modern architecture are drastically from those of Chinese traditional garden space. We still can find that there are many obvious affinities between the spirit of Chinese garden house and the thought of contemporary architecture. Today, we depend on the fact that the new materials, such as concrete, steel and glass, are finding their way into our house, whether we wish them or not, science and economic necessarily are forces too strong to be denial. Our environment has come to be made up such artificial material instead of the natural material used in Chinese traditional garden house. Thus, only depends on the new techniques, new building materials, new concept of life and new environment, can Chinese garden find its way to a developed level in Chinese cities today.

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