中国园林可分为御花园和私家花园两类。前者都见于北方，后者则多见于南方，尤以苏州、无锡和南京三地为甚。

Chinese gardens can be divided into two categories, the imperial and the private. The former are seen most frequently in northern China, while more of the latter can be found in the south, especially in Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing.

南方私家花园中的溪、桥、山、亭、小巧玲珑，布局精明，尽显其自然美，令人赏心悦目。桥大多为石桥，有直桥、曲桥、拱桥。直桥其实是一块不加装饰的石板，通常与河岸或河水齐高，给人一种临水的感觉。曲桥设有低栏杆，西湖上的九曲桥就属此桥。拱桥可以分为单拱桥和多拱桥两种。园内的小溪虽占地不多，却同小桥与石屿相得益彰，浑然一体。

Small and delicate, cleverly laid out and pleasing to eye, the streams, bridges, rockeries and pavilion of a private Chinese garden reveal a natural beauty of their own. Most of the bridges in these gardens are of stone, including straight, winding¹ and arched bridges. The straight bridge consists of just one stone slab² without any decoration, and is usually level with the riverbank or with the river to make the visitors feel as if they are surrounded by water. The winding bridge has low balustrades. The arch bridges can be divided into the single-arch and the multi-arch varieties. Streams in these gardens do not cover a large area, but fit in well with bridges and islets to yield a uniformed effect.

石头与假山是中国南方园林的特色。奇形怪状的石头常带有引人注目的波纹线条和水孔。硕大的石头可自成一景，而较小的石块则堆积成假山，为园林增添无比魅力。走廊是中国园林的另一大特色，有河边的河廊，花丛中的花廊，柳树丛中的柳廊，竹林中的竹廊。对客人来说，这些走廊可谓是优秀导游，在一座大花园里沿廊而行，可以观赏园内的各处景观。

Rocks and rockeries are special features of southern Chinese gardens. Stones of grotesque³ forms are often attractive with undulated lines and water holes. Some large stones form sceneries of their own, while smaller ones are put together to form artificial hills to add to the fantastic attractiveness of the garden. Corridors form another feature of Chinese gardens. There are water corridors built along a riverside, flower corridors inserted among flowers, willow⁴ corridors among rows of willow, and bamboo corridors among rows of bamboo. For visitors, these corridors are good travel guides leading to various views of a big garden.

形态各异的窗户点缀在走廊上，有方形，有圆形，有六角形，也有八角形。许多窗户的图案也都装饰得非常美丽，游客可以透过这些艳丽多彩的走廊窗户，将园内的佳境尽收眼底。园林的大门同窗户一样也雕刻成各种形状，给环境带来了生气，增添了雅趣。

Corridors are dotted by windows of various shapes—square, round, hexagonal and octagonal. Many of the windows are decorated with very beautiful patterns and designs. Tourists can have an excellent view of the garden through these colorful corridor windows. The doors to the gardens, like the windows, are also carved in many different shapes, to bring more vividness and elegance⁵ to the surroundings.

花园的墙壁通常粉刷成白色。隐匿在鲜花、树木、小山丛中的白墙，与灰瓦褐窗形成强烈的反差。白墙上树影婆娑，池塘中柳枝起舞，在园中徜徉的游客，也许能在这室外桃园里真正地享受片刻安宁。

Walls of these gardens are usually painted white. Hidden among the flowers, trees and hills, white walls stand in sharp contrast to the gray tiles and brown windows. Strolling about these gardens, with the tree shadows swaying on the white wall and willow reflections dancing in the ponds, tourists may then find themselves truly enjoying a moment of peace and relaxation⁶ in this paradise beyond the turmoil⁷ of the world.