I'm looking for a few books (perhaps academic articles) that discuss
the Chinese views of wilderness and nature.  They should draw upon
major themes found in Chinese literature (liken to Margaret Atwood's
"Survival") and in art (e.g. landscape paintings).

Some themes I can anticipate these sources containing might be:
wilderness landscape is feared, natural spaces should be manicured,
humans are dwarfed by nature.

Avoid providing sources that focus on nature and Taoism, Buddhism,
Confucianism.  This is WAY too deep for what I will be doing and will
NOT be helpful.

Best answers will provide several sources and be in annotated
bibliography style (2-3 sentence description will do).

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Request for Question Clarification by answerguru-ga on 24 Dec 2002 16:11 PST

Hi kariny-ga,

I have found the following titles that address your query (no
bibliographic info available though):


Tiny Travelers: 
People and Nature
(Chinese philosophical views)

http://www.culturalcafe.com/book_05.htm

Is this the type of thing you were looking for?

answerguru-ga

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Clarification of Question by kariny-ga on 24 Dec 2002 18:58 PST

With reference to Tiny Travelers, the section on "Incorporation" is
the type of book I'm looking for - straightfoward info on Chinese
views of nature and wilderness.  (I assume that such books would
provide reasoning for these views.)  Citation information is very
important because I might need to track down books through
inter-library loans, which will require this info.

If this helps in your search, I'm trying to illustrate differences in
Chinese and Western views of nature/wilderness (though I will only be
discussing Chinese views in my work).

Are "nature" and "wilderness" the same thing?  Something to think
about.

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Request for Question Clarification by answerguru-ga on 24 Dec 2002 20:31 PST

Hi again,

I've continued the search according to your guidelines and it has
become quite clear that the one book I referenced earlier is a very
rare breed. Most others that I am coming across are closely tied to
religious themes.

If you feel I have earned the value of the question let me know and I
will repost it as an answer.

Thanks,
answerguru-ga

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Clarification of Question by kariny-ga on 25 Dec 2002 12:16 PST

While the book you referenced might be handy, my request is for
*several* sources (at least 2-3) with *citation information*.  This
information is crucial because if I cannot find the titles at the
academic libraries I have access to, I will info for an inter-library
loan.  I cannot afford to purchase books that may or may not be
helpful.

Thanks,
Kariny

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Request for Question Clarification by answerguru-ga on 25 Dec 2002 13:08 PST

I understand...why don't we leave this question open for any other
researchers who may have additional information to offer.

Good luck :)

answerguru-ga

Hi Kariny,

attempting to study chinese viewpoints without referring to Taoist
influence is at best superficial and meaningless.  It might amaze you
but Taoism is not a form of religion, the actual Taoist texts
(although obscure and very difficult to comprehend) does not include
principles of Gods nor Goddesses, it is 2 volumes of profound
philosophy based on the observations of what is termed the "Natural
Way" - hence the word Tao (which in chinese one of its meaning is a
path or a route).  It is a collection of the astute observations of
the founder of Taoism (Lao Tze) and is written in 2 volumes (Tao -
being the first and more famous and De - being the second and covering
Virtues [loosely translated]).

Confucianism is more of a philosphical study of Social etiquettes and
a proposal by Confucious towards an ideal society.

Buddhism is an import from India but strangely the original Buddhist
teachings are also philosophical.  It is towards the much later stages
of its development that it became transmuted into a religious form.

There are many forms of philosophical viewpoints that I might be able
to point you to, but you would need to understand the Chinese letter
(not just basic recognition but an in-depth study of the underlying
meanings within the words) as most of the references would be in
actual Chinese texts.

You could start by looking up Chinese Poetry, as these captures
moments of inspiration and enlightenment that the poets experience
when they encounter things in nature, from the flowers to an ant, from
the rivers to the mountains.

Next you could delve into the Chinese Paintings of Nature and compare
those to the Western approach.

It might be better if you had posted your research question up front
and the rest of the researchers might find it easier to support your
need.  Anyways, best of luck for your paper.

PS: the chinese do not neccessarily subscribe to the idea that natural
spaces should be manicured, I know I do not and I am chinese, like all
concepts and peoples, the chinese consist of a great variety of
sub-culture and races, and sometimes our ideas of generalization and
stereo-typing other cultures becomes a barrier to our attempts at
understanding other folks.

kariny,

you might want to checkout the following book (it covers asian so
hopefully some parts of it would be useful to you):

Title	:	Asian perceptions of nature : a critical approach / edited by
Ole Bruun and Arne Kalland.
Call Number	:	304.2/095 20 
Publisher	:	Richmond, Surrey : Curzon, c1995. 
Physical Description	:	276 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm. 
Series Title	:	Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. Studies in Asian
topics ; no. 18
Other Authors	:	Bruun, Ole. 
	:	Kalland, Arne. 
	:	Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. 
Subjects	:	Environmental policy Asia. 
	:	Nature conservation Asia. 
	:	Nature worship Asia. 
	:	Philosophy of nature. 
ISBN: 0700703012
      0700702903 (pbk.)

Thanks for your comment, Unstable.  My study area is in park planning
(not in Philosophy, Asian Studies, or other artsy subjects), and
Chinese views of wilderness is just a minor aspect of what I am
examining in my research.  I don't have the time to delve into Chinese
poetry, philosophy books, and other lengthy texts and make my own
interpretations.  (Besides, this depth of analysis would probably be
way too deep for the park agencies that would be reading this later). 
I just need 2 to 3 basic, summary books.  Something like "Chinese
Views of Wilderness for Dummies" or "East-West Differences in
Perceptions about Wilderness for Dummies" would be ideal!!!

Khariny,

Park Planning eh?.  Would materials on landscaping and materials on
how the a lot of chinese building (including park designs) are
affected by FengShui be of your interest?

In the development of YuanYi (Horticultural arts) for the chinese,
there have been several movements.  The most famous Chinese Gardens
are located in Suzhou and Hangzhou.  (a chinese saying, Shang You Tian
Tang (above there is heaven), Xia You Su Hang (below there is Suzhou
and Hangzhou) - this depicts the beauty and ideal planning (according
to most folks) of the gardens and scenary at these 2 places).

So my next best suggestion is for you to look up on books about these
places.

cheers