The circular shape which is known as a moon gate originated in China thousands of years ago and has now been modified for use in modern gardens. The original gates were constructed of stone, but modern designs use various materials while maintaining the circular moon shape. And a moon gate creates a special feel to the garden as Janet Dunn explains in her article which I found on the Houzz website.
The circle is one of the most eloquent shapes in our universe. It expresses completeness, continuity and protection ? a beginning and an end in one flawless arc. In Western culture, the circle?s magnetic power is explained as a function of the human eye and brain, and the subconscious pleasure that comes from viewing its harmonious symmetry. In many other cultures, it is richly charged with meaning, depicting profound links between humans and nature. A graceful moon gate can express all this in the modern garden. Do you have room for one in yours?The Rise of the Moon Gate
Moon gates go back thousands of years to the gardens of Chinese emperors and other nobility. Gardens were constructed for intellectual contemplation of nature and the cycle of life, and garden design was more about symbolism and spiritualism than the aesthetics that largely govern gardens in the West.
Solid walls were seen as unsociable, and moon gates presented a partial enclosure while still allowing free passage.Traditional Chinese moon gates were circular openings in a stone wall, usually with a short ?foot? supporting the arch, giving them a keyhole appearance.
An ancient construction method was to build the circle, stone by stone, around a temporary wooden frame, finishing with a keystone at the apex. It required great skill, especially since some gates were constructed freehand with no mortar between the stones.In traditional Chinese culture, a circle is an emblem of perfection that represents heaven, birth and renewal; celebrates the unity of family; and creates a transition between public and private life and between this world and the next.
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Feature photo: Hoi Ning Wong
