Chinese parks and gardens enjoy a high position in the world. For instance, they had spread to Japan during the Tang and Song dynasties, and exerted direct influence on Japanese gardens.

European knowledge of Chinese gardens can traced back to Marco Polo during the Yuan Dynasty, but Chinese gardens mostly were introduced to Europe in the 17th century, first to Britain and then arousing great astonishment in France and other countries, leading to China being honored as the "Mother of World Gardens". In 1685, famous British scholar and statesman Sir William Temple wrote about geometric gardens prevailing in Europe at that time. He said that there could be another type of completely irregular garden, possibly be better than any other type existing, but there must be very good natural conditions along with the human faculty of imagination and judgment in the respect of manual decoration. He had heard of this kind of garden from people who had once lived in China. The beauty of houses and cultivation then were governed mainly by definite proportions, symmetry and uniformity, Temple wrote. "Our roads and Our trees are arranged in an alignment one following another, their spacing is accurate. The Chinese will sneer at this method of planting trees, saying that a child who can count from one to 1oo is able to plant trees in a straight line. Using the extremely rich power of imagination, the Chinese create a very beautiful and attractive image. However, they do not use superficial, easily understandable rules and methods to arrange various parts."

Along with their appreciation came imitation. This began first in Britain, then in France, Italy, Sweden and other European countries. In Paris alone, about 20 Chinese-style scenic parks were built- Often a number of Chinese-style pagodas, pavilions, arch bridges and towers and even Confucian temples were set up in the garden, called a picturesque garden. But before long, the Europeans discovered how difficult it was to build a garden up to the level of real Chinese one.

Robert Chambers, a Scotsman, once came to China's Guangzhou , and in his later years he served as a chief architect to the British royal court. He described Chinese gardens in several books. He said: 'The layout of a Chinese garden is excellent, the interest embodied there is what Britain has long been pursuing but has failed to achieve.' Chambers opposed Superficial modeling after Chinese gardens. He warned: 'It is extremely difficult to grasp the art of setting up Chinese-style gardens. It is almost completely impossible for people with mediocre intelligence. In China, garden construction is a special profession requiring extensive ability; and only very few people can reach perfection.'