Background
Wen was born in Suzhou in 1585.
文震亨
Wen was born in Suzhou in 1585.
In 1621, he graduated from the Imperial Academy, obtained the lowest degree of zhusheng.
In 1637, Wen was the assistant magistrate of Longzhou county in the Shanxi prefecture. On the same year, he was appointed Secretariat Drafter by Chongzhen Emperor. Wen Zhenheng was famous for his calligraphy, poetry and essays.
He was also an expert in landscape garden design, the Sweetgrass Garden he built in Suzhou was famous at his time.
Wen Zhenheng"s best known work Zhang Wu Zhi (长物志, "") written between 1620-1627 was an encyclopedic book about garden architecture and interior design. Zhang Wu Zhi was divided into twelve volumes:
Volume(s) 1.
House and Dwelling—17 chapters
Volume(s) 2. Flowers and Trees—43 chapters
Volume(s) 3.
Water and Stones - 18 chapters
Volume(s) 4.
Fowl and Fish—11 chapters
Volume(s) 5. Books and Paintings - 26 chapters
Volume(s) 6. Chairs and Bedfordshire—20 chapters
Volume(s) 7.
Utensils—58 chapters
Volume(s) 8.
Cloths and accessories—10 chapters
Volume(s) 9. Boat and carriage—4 chapters
Volume(s) 10.
Arrangement—11 chapters
Volume(s) 11. Vegetable and Fruits—27 chapters
Volume(s) 12.
Incense and Tea—24 chapters(Wen Zhenheng on Tea).