The park built by the modern Wuxi gentry (1905–1930): a special space under local power interaction.

Parks built by the gentry represent a special type of parks in modern China. They were admission-free public places financed and controlled by the gentry. Nominally, these parks were public properties under the jurisdiction of the government, thus possessing dual attributes of privatization and nationalization. The planning and construction of such parks reflected the gentry's aesthetic interests and their deep involvement in local affairs. However, at the same time, these parks were always subject to the constraints of the specific power structure within the local society. Taking the Chengzhong Park in Wuxi as an example, this paper explores how the interaction among local gentry power, official power, and party power affected the history of park development and ultimately shaped the function and form of the park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]