Thanks for asking.
I've located information about Emperor Yang Di, and references to his
Xixuan Garden in Luoyang. Chinese translation to English is an inexact
science. There are a number of variation of the name and variations in
spelling of Yangdi's name which yield results, among them:
Yangdi
Yang Di
Yang-di
Yang Ti
Yangti
Emperor Suiyang
Yang Guang
Sui Yangdi
Emperor Yang-ti
Yang Kuang
Sui-Yang-Ti
Yang Di was the second (and last) Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, ruling
between 580-618 A.D. He was the second son of Emperor Wen Ti, who
founded the Sui Dynasty. He reigned from 605 to 617. He is best known
today for construction of the Grand Canal during a six year period of
conscripted labor.
"608-609 The Grand Canal was built from the Yellow River to Beijing by
many thousands of men and, for the first time, of women. The canal was
40 paces across and 2000 km long creating an interconnecting
transportation system which aided administrative tasks, defense
movements, and movement of agricultural and trade goods. It also
established a link between northern and southern China making the two
territories economically interdependent."
Google Cache of China History Timeline document
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:Pw8II7fmjkQJ:www.csupomona.edu/~inch/group4/timeline.pdf+emperor+yangdi+sui+dynasty+Luoyang&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
The Grand Canal
http://www.chinapage.com/canal.html
Emperor Wen Ti moved the capitol to Luoyang. His son, Yang Di is
credited with creating an Imperial garden there, known as the Western
Landscape or Botanical Garden (Xiyuan). The garden was very large,
reputed to have a circumference of 100km, (diameter 31km).
Today, Xiyuan Park occupies an area of the palace gardens created
during the Sui Dynasty. An excerpt from the Information Center of the
LuoYang People's Government states:
"Xiyuan Park - Built on the site of the palace garden "Xiyuan" of Sui
dynasty, Xiyuan Park covers an area of 200 mu at the Nanchang Road in
Jianxi district."
Google Cache of Xiyuan Park
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:YQR9-yLotToJ:www.china-window.com.cn/Henan_w/hot/luoyang/enxygy.htm+%22Xiyuan%22+of+Sui+dynasty,+Xiyuan+Park+covers&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Sui Dynasty / Yangdi Resources
------------------------------
Chinatown Online - History: Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages/culture/history/sui.html
WorldBook General Reference Project
http://surfablebooks.com/worldbookgeneral/History/Asia/China/Sui%20dynasty/1.htm
The following excerpts and links document Emperor Yang Di's connection
with the Xiyuan Gardens.
Emperor Sui Yangdi and the West Botanical garden
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"The first person who cultivated peony in Luoyang is Emperor Sui
Yangdi. In 604 AD, he began to build a great garden in the capital
----Luoyang, that garden was called West Botanical. In the garden,
there were different kinds of flowers, Emperor Sui Yangdi liked the
peony best, so he called his beautiful concubines The Lady of Peony."
http://www.hnly.com.cn/youxiu/zhonglv/daoyouci2.htm
Emperor Suiyang and Ornamental Peonies
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sui Dynasty.(Emperor Suiyang) 605-618 AD
"The earliest records of varieties of ornamental peonies are from the
Sui Dynasty. When the Emperor Suiyang was on the throne (605-618 AD),
he "cleared land about 100km in circumference, for the Garden Xiyuan.
In his Imperial Edict, all kinds of animals and plants in the
territory should be carried to the capital (present Luoyang). Twenty
boxes of peonies were paid as tributes from Yizhou (present County Yi,
Hebei). In Chang'an (present Xi'an) the capital of Tang, peonies were
gradually planted. As precious plants, they could be cultivated only
in imperial gardens."
Chinese Tree Peonies
http://www.paeon.de/h1/wang/history.html
Sui Yang Di and Chinese Imperial Gardens
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Constructing of the Chinese ancient imperial gardens dates back to
the Qin and Han Dynasties. Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor of Qin)
constructed Shanglinyuan Garden to the south of the Weihe River and
built the Afanggong Palace in it. Han Gao zu (the first emperor of the
Han Dynasty) built the Weiyanggong Palace and Taiye Pool in the
garden. Han Wu Di (emperor of the Han Dynasty) renovated Shanglinyuan
garden and built the Zhanggong Palace and Kunming Pool in it. The
gardens that time were characterized as "one pool, three hills". And
that kind of gardens became the miniature of the Chinese Gardens. In
the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial gardens developed much.
Xiyuan Garden built by Sui Yang Di (emperor of the Sui Dynasty) had a
girth of 200 li (100 km). The pool in Xiyuan Garden measured 10 li (5
km.)"
Chinese Imperial Gardens
http://www.expo99km.gov.cn/sbh/english/horti/h1c.htm
Emperor Yang Di and Luoyang Imperial Park
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty (581 AD-618 AD) made Luoyang,
Henan Province his capital. During the reign of Emperor Yang Di from
605 to 617, an imperial park 200 li in circumference (two li equals
one kilometer) was constructed in the western outskirts of Luoyang
(near present-day Xiyuan Park) and the whole country was ordered to
contribute flowers including the peony to the park. During the
following dynasties, large numbers of gardens were built in Luoyang,
within which peonies were planted. According to historical records,
nobles, high officials, merchants and local residents went out to
enjoy peonies during the flowering season. In the Sui Dynasty, Yao
Yellow, a rare strain known as the "King of Peonies," bloomed less
than four flowers a year in Luoyang. When it bloomed, everyone in the
city went to have a look."
The Peony - Celestial Beauty
http://www.rmhb.com.cn/chpic/htdocs/English/content/200209/7-1.htm
Emperor Yang and Ornamental Peonies
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Perhaps the best place to begin the story of peonies in the garden is
in China. Peonies were known in China as far back as perhaps 1000 BCE.
It was not however until the seventh century, during the reign of the
Emperor Yang (605-617) of the Sui dynasty, that peonies were thought
to have been grown as ornamental plants.
History of Peonies
http://www.paeonia.com/html/about_peonies/history_of_peonies.htm
The Sui Dynasty and Xiyuan Park
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally named Botanical Garden, it was renamed Xiyuan (Western
Landscape) because the location was once the western landscape of the
Sui Dynasty.
The Peony Garden in Xiyuan Park, Henan
http://www.paeon.de/region/china/coll.html
Emperor Yang and Ornamental Peonies
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Peonies as ornamentals were supposedly first grown at the end of the
Sui dynasty during the reign of the Emperor Yang (605-617 AD), who
apparently restricted cultivation to imperial use and allocated
different flower colors to favored officials according to rank.
Google Cache
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:XnkH9hXio7oJ:home.pacifier.com/~shm/Flowers2/peonies.html+%22Emperor+Yang%22+sui+garden&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Sui-Yang-Ti (Yang Ti) and Palace Construction
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUI YANG-TI, 560 - 618, Chinese Emperor: "Yang Ti spent lavish
amounts of money on palace construction and reinforcing the Great
Wall. "
Sui Yang-Ti
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/ppersons4_n2/suiyangti.html
Amazon.com Search
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Amazon offers a new Search Inside the Book Feature. You'll need to
click on the "Search Inside this Book" link displayed under the
picture of the book cover. Use of this feature requires Amazon.com
site registration (free). I've located two references to Emperor Yang
Di and his gardens.
The Chinese Garden
Amazon Book Search Terms: XiYuan Garden
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195875869/002-5017339-9303205
In The Chinese Garden (page 6), by Joseph Cho Wang, you'll find a map
which recreates the Garden of XiYuan based upon scholar's
descriptions.
Garden Plants of China
Amazon Book Search Terms: "Yang Di" garden
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0881924709/002-5017339-9303205
In Garden Plants of China (page 4), Peter Valder writes ..."Yang Di,
second emperor of the Sui dynasty (581-618 AD), built the largest
gardens in history and searched far and wide for rare and beautiful
plants (Li, 1959).
Answer Strategy
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I used the following names
Yangdi
Yang Di
Yang-di
Yang Ti
Yangti
Emperor Suiyang
Yang Guang
Sui Yangdi
Emperor Yang-ti
Yang Kuang
Sui-Yang-Ti
Combined with the following search terms/phrases:
garden
gardens
"imperial gardens"
"chinese gardens"
history
"sui dynasty"
Should you have questions about the information or links provided,
please, feel free to ask.
---larre |