Hidden orders in Chinese gardens: irregular fractal structure and its generative rules

The hidden orders of physical structure in Yuyuan, an example of Chinese gardens, are explored. Methods of geometric analysis are used to examine rules of iteration and transformation in the configuration model of the garden, for example, the spatial structure of ‘gardens in a garden’, the pedestrian system of ‘circles in a circle’, and the tree-like waterway, which formulate an irregular fractal system. It is argued that these generative rules of the structure, which mainly give rise to the similarities and complexities between parts and the whole garden, are deeply rooted in the principle of <i>I Ching</i>.