Dream of the Red Chamber stands as a paramount masterpiece of Chinese classical literature, wherein medical knowledge is utilized to its fullest symbolic potential. Cao Xueqin’s portrayal of the Grand View Garden is not merely a space imbued with profound signifi cance but also a garden bustling with various ailments and populated with numerous medicinal plants. These medical descriptions are not presented in isolation but are intricately linked to the novel’s plot progression, character development, and thematic expression, forming a cohesive whole. As the central setting in the narrative of Dream of the Red Chamber, the Grand View Garden’s medicinal plants carry rich cultural connotations and distinctive landscape imagery. By delving into the symbolic meanings and cultural contexts of these plants, we can uncover their distinctive signifi cance in shaping cultural and emotional spaces. Employing textual analysis and semiotics, rooted in medical records combined with historical documentation verifi cation, we explore the Grand View Garden’s medicinal plant arrangements, species compositions, and the cultural landscape imagery they refl ect. These plants also serve as crucial elements in landscape design, acting as a medium for the author to convey characters’ emotions and cultural essence. Through further idealization, they not only acquire symbolic and spiritual signifi cance but also become a vital link between nature and human culture, reality and ideals. This endeavor aims to provide a fresh perspective on Chinese classical garden landscape imagery and to off er a valuable reference for contemporary landscape design in the use of plants.