Researcher re-grows imperial gardens' story

That misunderstanding extends even to those who live in the old garden area, who often struggle to say much about it. Thus, Zhu and his team see public outreach as essential so the gardens' cultural meaning does not fade from memory.

Over the years, Zhu has published three books introducing the gardens, given many lectures online and offline, and compiled school-based teaching materials.

According to Fu, Zhu is excellent at translating obscure academic content into something vivid and accessible to the public.

"He has keen interests in the ancient gardens, and he is very cautious in academic research; things that he was not sure would never be brought to light," says Fu.

After years of studying the gardens, Zhu is impressed by the changes. "Before I was familiar with the gardens, their history was merely words in books, and I didn't think much about the ideas behind their designs.

"But after reading so much historical literature, I gradually came to understand how the landscape changed over at least 800 years," says Zhu. "Generation after generation transformed it, built in the gardens, and took part in farming and water conservancy. It allows me to see our civilization's progress," he adds.

Contact the writer at wangru1@chinadaily.com.cn