The Chinese garden is a miniature replica of the country itself. In order to understand and appreciate the Chinese garden, one must familiarize themselves with the land of China. More than two thirds of the country is made up of mountain ranges. The Chinese people realize that these rock structures are a major part of their culture and that is why they are one of the main features in the garden. The second main feature of the garden is water. Three of the worlds' greatest rivers run through the land of China. Thus, the Chinese garden has a lot of water features incorporated into the garden to represent their land. 

     The climate plays a major role in the creation of the garden as well. China is a country that experiences four distinct seasons. The climate during the four seasons changes drastically, therefore requiring the gardens to have a wide variety of plant material. Since the garden is looked upon so highly in Chinese culture, it is important that the garden be beautiful during all four seasons. 

     China had three great schools of philosophy that greatly influenced their garden tradition. The three schools were Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Each of these schools brought with it ideas as to the importance of the garden and how it was to be utilized. As time progressed, the ideas of these three schools brought us to our present use of the Chinese garden.

     The final factor that helped to mold the garden was the aesthetic tradition. The gardens that were created resembled the words of a poet and the drawings of a painter. To the Chinese people, walking into a garden resembled a poem or a painting. The creator of the garden used these two features to represent memories of his lifetime that were important to him and others. Thus, by choosing certain rocks or plants, they represented something more to the creator than just a rock or plant. It was something that represented them and their culture.

     The land, the great philosophies and the aesthetic tradition are all a part of the  history of the Chinese garden  These three things are what has made the Chinese garden what it is. They are also what have made the garden so important to other gardening styles. Since the Chinese garden was one of the first garden styles, it has had a impact on other traditions such as The Japanese garden.