Charmed Circles: Bring Serenity to Your Garden With a Moon Gate
The elegant arc of a moon gate creates tranquillity and a hint of mystery in modern gardens
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?
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.
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.
Although both Japanese and Chinese cultures attach significance to the moon and many circular apertures are found in Japanese architecture and gardens, moon gates remain quintessentially Chinese.
Although both Japanese and Chinese cultures attach significance to the moon and many circular apertures are found in Japanese architecture and gardens, moon gates remain quintessentially Chinese.
The moon gate concept was often integrated into a bridge over water, a fundamental feature in Chinese gardens. Lakes, ponds, streams and waterfalls balanced other natural features including rocks, trees and plantings. Designers often played with reflections in water, building a half-moon arch that became a full moon when mirrored in a still pool or lake.
Role in Focusing Views
One of the main design intentions of moon gates is to enhance a view with a graceful encircling frame. The frame intensifies the scene in the same way as a telescope concentrates a field of vision. The observer’s eye is drawn through the circle toward what lies beyond.
One of the main design intentions of moon gates is to enhance a view with a graceful encircling frame. The frame intensifies the scene in the same way as a telescope concentrates a field of vision. The observer’s eye is drawn through the circle toward what lies beyond.
A circular opening highlights a lovely part of a garden, or a special flowering plant or tree, by focusing our attention and providing a lens through which to observe the changes that come with the seasons. Another approach is to compose a garden vignette by framing a specific architectural feature.
Rather than just framing pretty landscapes, moon gates also heighten our perception of the garden world, with all its shapes, textures, colors, movement and imperfections.
The stability and weight of the grand structure in this garden and the formality of its circular span contrast with the windswept wild grasses.
The stability and weight of the grand structure in this garden and the formality of its circular span contrast with the windswept wild grasses.
The moon gate concept has many applications beyond gardens. In this seaside home, a moon gate (well, a moon window, really) brings a section of the panoramic ocean view into focus, creating a dynamic piece of natural art.
Modern Interpretations
Gardeners all over the world have interpreted the moon gate in their own ways. One widely adapted form is a slatted gate with a large circular window and an overhead trellis structure. The spirit of Chinese moon gates is echoed in the way these gates provide both a barrier and a welcome, framing a different scene from each side.
Gardeners all over the world have interpreted the moon gate in their own ways. One widely adapted form is a slatted gate with a large circular window and an overhead trellis structure. The spirit of Chinese moon gates is echoed in the way these gates provide both a barrier and a welcome, framing a different scene from each side.
Moon gates also are incorporated into classic arbors. When open, these gates form an elegant vine-clad arched corridor and an inviting entrance to a formally laid-out kitchen garden. When the gates are closed, the full perfection of the round window is seen and the eye is still drawn to the view beyond.
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A world away from the ancient stone gates of China, an austere metal ring rising from the ground, tinged with rust, is a powerful industrial-strength counterpoint to a meandering free-form path and informal greenery.
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Cor-Ten Steel Brings Enduring Texture to Landscapes
Multiple concentric metal rings in this garden support a cool canopy of climbing plants and give a sense of expectation for visitors.
A subtle and artful feature of ancient moon gates connecting contrasting “worlds” is that the design allowed only one person to step through at a time, according to Maggie Keswick, author of The Chinese Garden: History, Art and Architecture. By crossing alone from one space to another, it’s said that the experience becomes more intimate and significant.
A subtle and artful feature of ancient moon gates connecting contrasting “worlds” is that the design allowed only one person to step through at a time, according to Maggie Keswick, author of The Chinese Garden: History, Art and Architecture. By crossing alone from one space to another, it’s said that the experience becomes more intimate and significant.
The traditional Chinese gardens of the wealthy boasted monumental features such as pavilions, temples and galleries. Moon gates reached imposing heights of several yards, requiring tons of stone.
In today’s smaller gardens, a lighter approach to scale and materials injects the charm of the moon gate without the grandeur and bulk. Rather than a solid wall, this moon gate is constructed from wood and set in an open trellis that filters the view and doesn’t overwhelm the compact space.
In today’s smaller gardens, a lighter approach to scale and materials injects the charm of the moon gate without the grandeur and bulk. Rather than a solid wall, this moon gate is constructed from wood and set in an open trellis that filters the view and doesn’t overwhelm the compact space.
Many modern Asian-style gardens make use of circular openings and motifs to convey an Eastern feel. In this Sydney garden, in response to a client’s wish for an Asian aesthetic, Dean Herald of Rolling Stone Landscapes fused classic elements of rocks, bamboo and water with a contemporary stone wall, a moon aperture and Japanese maples.
No Chinese garden is complete without rocks. They are further up the hierarchy than plantings and are treated as natural sculptures. A strategically placed rock feature, such as this rough-hewn pagoda, forms part of a miniature landscape that can be framed by a simplified moon gate at the garden entrance.
The Bermudan Connection
The moon gate also has an unexpected link with Bermuda. It’s a national symbol, appearing on stamps and souvenirs and in many gardens. Local accounts trace the connection to a seafaring Bermudan who spent time in China and brought the idea home, where he built his own version in local limestone circa 1860. Island tradition promises that those who step through a moon gate, especially newlyweds, will have their wishes granted.
The moon gate also has an unexpected link with Bermuda. It’s a national symbol, appearing on stamps and souvenirs and in many gardens. Local accounts trace the connection to a seafaring Bermudan who spent time in China and brought the idea home, where he built his own version in local limestone circa 1860. Island tradition promises that those who step through a moon gate, especially newlyweds, will have their wishes granted.
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Renowned Mexican architect and garden designer Luis Barragán believed that “the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.” As alluring as a moon gate is in daylight, it becomes otherworldly when illuminated at night. Magic and mystery? Definitely!
Tell us: Would you like a moon gate in your garden? Do you already have one? Please share a photo in the Comments.
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Renowned Mexican architect and garden designer Luis Barragán believed that “the ideal space must contain elements of magic, serenity, sorcery and mystery.” As alluring as a moon gate is in daylight, it becomes otherworldly when illuminated at night. Magic and mystery? Definitely!
Tell us: Would you like a moon gate in your garden? Do you already have one? Please share a photo in the Comments.
More
See other Asian-style gardens
Find fence and gate professionals
Shop for outdoor products
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.