NORTHERN (SU) SCHOOLS
EASTERN SU SCHOOLS:
*
YANGZHOU
(Styles include: "Platform," "Ingenious or Delicate Cloud," "
Pagoda,"
"
Three-Winding
")
TUNG
(Styles include: "Coiled Dragon," "
Dancing Dragon
")
WESTERN SU SCHOOLS:
*
SUZHOU
(Styles include: "Six Platforms, Three Bases and One Top," "Tree Branches
Overhanging a Cliff," "Split Trunk," "Screen," "Following the Wind," "Aslant
and Supine," "Erect with Spreading Foliage," "Phoenix and Crane on Pavilion
and Pagoda")
*
SHANGHAI
NANTONG
ZHEJIANG
(Styles include: "Tall Trunk," "Forest")
HUNAN
(Styles include: "Hanging Cliff")
HUBEI
(Styles include: "
Flat-Top
")
HENAN
(Styles include: "
Flat-Top
")
SHANDONG
LIAONING
JILIN
*
SICHUAN
(CHUAN) SCHOOL (Styles include:
"Straight," Reclining and Slanting Trunk," "Hanging Cliff," "
Earthworm
")
SOUTHERN SCHOOLS
*
LINGNAN
(Styles include: "Ancient Tree" or "Military General Tree;" "Large Tree"
or "Tall Tree;" "Towering Tree", "
Five-Tree
")
FUJIAN
*
GUANGXI
CATEGORIES
Penjing have traditionally
been divided into two categories:
shansui
and
shumu.
Shansui
are the "mountain
and water" or landscape penjing which feature mostly rocks and depict mountain
scenes. Trees may or may not appear; if they are included, they play
a minor role in the overall composition.
Shumu
or "tree" penjing [aka
penzai
] are the close cousins of the Japanese bonsai, depicting
the image of one or several trees, those being the main material and dominant
element in the composition. When creating a
shumu
penjing
-- or a traditional painting, for that matter -- the Chinese artist pays
much attention to variation inherent in contrast, seeking to generate opposites
(upright vs. slanting, solid vs. void, dense vs. sparse, etc.) which will
successfully unite in a harmonious fashion. Although nursery-grown
stock is now the source of most material,
shuzhuang
(literally,
"tree stump") or collected penjing was the traditional beginning for a
composition. The six basic forms in China are the straight trunk,
slanting trunk, curved trunk, cliff-hanging, vine, and forest styles.
Literati penjing are in a category to themselves, imbued with the characteristics
of aloofness, sparseness, refined elegance, and plainness.
2
Regional Styles and Schools:
THE SU SCHOOL (Northern)
Since penjing seeks to recapture
real scenery and the characters and moods of natural trees, it is not surprising
that this longtime art forms displays as much variation as the regions
-- differing in geography, climate, and appearance of trees -- in which
it has developed and is practiced. The materials chosen by artists
in different regions are not alike, and styling techniques vary as well,
and each has its merits. Further variables include the artist's personality,
philosophy, and artistic training. Over the centuries different penjing
schools have emerged in China.
At present there are two
main groups of regional styles with regard to
shumu
penjing.
First, the Su or Northern group: from the area of the Yangtze River Valley,
its trees -- predominantly conifers -- show the presence of distinctly
shaped foliage layers or clusters. And because of a shorter growing
season, the tree shapes need to be established using wiring. Apart
from these common traits, however, styles differ significantly. In
general, Northern landscape penjing are noted for their grand, fantastic
appearance. The Northern school is divided into the Eastern Su and
Western Su schools.
3
EASTERN SU:
YANGZHOU
School (principal
city: Yangzhou; 1958 unofficial est. pop. 160,000): Here there is
a long tradition of training penjing featuring neat, distinctive foliage
layers. Limbs thus trained into thin, flat, oval-shaped foliage usually
of equal or similar size, horizontally placed, are traditionally known
as "cloud layers," and are the product of artistic exaggeration.
A tree usually features an odd number of these richly decorative layers.
Penjing with one to three levels represent the "Platform Style," and those
with over three levels are of the "Ingenious or Delicate Cloud Style."
Most of the trunks are trained into a spiralling shape known as "Roaming
Dragon Curves."
Yangzhou artists are highly
skilled at bending the trunk, heavy branches, and shorter branches with
palm fiber strings. Influenced by the painting theory that branches
should not be straight for the length of one
cun
(3.3 cm, or about
one and a third inches), the penjing artists twist branches into "Flower
Pagoda" and "Three Curves Per Cun." In training from an early age,
the trees undergo meticulous bending and careful pruning. This style requires
a high level of skill and is very time-consuming. Scrupulous attention
is paid to every detail, and their meticulous work has earned the artists
universal respect.
The traditional, conventional
and standardized styles with their unique features have been preserved
to this day. Material used includes species of pine, cypress, Chinese elm (
Ulmus parvifolia
), and Chinese littleleaf boxwood (
Buxus microphylla
var. sinica).
4 Banyan and other Ficus penjing are a more recent
product of the area.
A famous tree is "Towering
Canopy," a one hundred cm. tall
Sabrina chinensis
which is about
four centuries old. This tree typifies the traditional Yangzhou penjing.
The coiled shape of the trunk calls to mind a dragon dancing. The
lush foliage forms a canopy over the figure. According to historical
records, "Name 47" was planted in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It
grew for many years in the compound of Yangzhou's ancient Tian Ning Monastery.
As a living cultural relic, it was given to the Yangzhou Museum in the
early 1950s, together with two other Qing dynasty cypresses (1644-1912).
In 1964, it found a new home in
Yangzhou's Slender West Lake Park.
This irreplaceable penjing is a treasure handed down from ancient times.
5
Qingquan Zhao is Vice-President
of the Association of Penjing Artists of China, a third generation enthusiast,
and a Penjing Master at Hong Yuan in Yangzhou. At age twenty he was
introduced by his father to an old friend, Xu Xiaobai (b. 1909-2006), a retired
horticultural professor at the Nanjing Agricultural Institute. Xu
was one of the very first persons in modern China to engage in penjing
research. He became Zhao's mentor and co-author for several books
and articles on the subject. The younger also learned from some of
the country's best known old masters while also studying poetry and traditional
Chinese painting techniques.
In the 1970s Zhao began
developing what has become a third category of penjing,
shuihan
("Water-and-Land" style). Inspired by Yangzhou's classical garden
art and the great landscape paintings of the southwestern provinces, he
created garden scenes of inextricably linked water, rocks and trees in
miniature on very shallow containers (usually marble slabs).
Zhao authored
The Art of Penjing Creation: An Analysis, and his tree "Painting With Eight
Horses" took first prize at the judged First Chinese National Penjing Exhibition
in Shanghai in September 1985. He conducted a demonstration and workshop
in water-and-land penjing for the World Bonsai Convention in Florida in
1993. This was Zhao's second trip to a Florida-based convention,
where he is highly popular as well as in many other places in the U.S.
and China. He authored
Penjing: Worlds of Wonderment
in 1997.
6
The
TUNG
[T'ung] School is based in
Anhui
(capital city, Hefei; 2000 province pop.: 59,860,000): Similar to
the method of the Yangzhou school, the Tung uses as a guideline for the
styling of plum penjing in She County the ancient saying that "a plum tree
is beautiful when twisted and devoid of appeal when straight." Beginning
with a circular bend starting from the plant's roots in the container,
the upper trunk is curved with two half-bends into a smooth S-configuration.
The trees, positioned so that they incline forward, gradually reach upward
in a form known as "Coiled Dragon" for its resemblance to a roaming dragon.
When training the Chinese
cypress or Sargent juniper, Anhui artists twist the trunk into a spiralling
shape when the tree is still young to create the striations in the bark
typical of an aged specimen.
Some Anhui bonsai are characterized
by their screen-like horizontal extensions. At an early stage of
cultivation, branches are trained sideways. Sometimes several trees
are combined by means of grafting to achieve a multi-dimensional geometric shape.
7
WESTERN SU:
SUZHOU
School (principal
city,
Suzhou
; 1958 unofficial estimated population, 651,000): Trees trained here
are known for the aged appearance of their trunks and their curved branches.
Pure and beautiful, they impart a feeling of classical elegance.
Traditional forms were fairly standardized, one major style called for
the trunk to be twisted from one side to the other into a total of six
curves; three branch arrangements extended from the bole to the right and
three to the left. These branches were called "Six Platforms."
Three more were trained toward the back, being the "Three Bases."
Another cluster crowned the top, and the entire design was named "Six Platforms,
Three Bases and One Top."
The area around the town
of Guangfu (near Suzhou) has certain formulae for training plum penjing.
These include the "Tree Branches Overhanging a Cliff Style," "Split Trunk
Style," "Screen Style," and "Following the Wind Style." This latter
form is similar to the "slanted trunk" form, but the angle of the trunk
is more extreme and an overly extended branch protrudes abruptly at the
top. Pine trees are often used in this type, and they can then be
placed in living rooms because they mimic a beckoning gesture that is easily
observed by guests. Such creations are called "guest welcoming pines."
The "Basic Shaping Through
Bending, Fine Shaping Through Pruning" technique is used for style development.
The bole and branches are first bent into S-configurations with the help
of palm fiber strings. In the ensuing years, this elementary shape
is refined by meticulous pruning. Cutting is viewed as the chief
styling method, assisted by trunk and limb bending. Special features
of Suzhou penjing are an old-looking trunk with a large number of branches,
sharp contrasts between dead wood and lush sections, and a plump, smooth
foliage layer rounding out the top. Deciduous species such as the
Hedge Sageretia (
Sageretia theezans
), Chinese Elm (
Ulmus parvifolia
), Trident Maple (
Acer buergeranum
), Plum, and Pomegranate (
Punica granatum
) are extensively used. Conifers like the Chinese Juniper (
Juniperus chinensis
) and Five-needle Pine (
Pinus parvifolia
) are a common sight as well.
8
Famous artists include
Zhu
Zi'an [Chu Tzu-an] and Zhou Shoujuan [Chou Shou-shih], who have since the
1950s opened up new prospects for Suzhou penjing, advocating that miniature
tree designs should emphasize natural beauty.
9
Probably the most famous
tree of this school is named "Artistic Spirit of the Qin and Han Dynasties,"
a 170 cm tall
Juniperus chinensis
which is over five hundred years
old. Winding, swaying branches and branchlets have grown off the
cracked old bole which consists largely of dead wood. There is a
strong contrast between the old and the new, and the grand appearance of
pines and junipers
[from paintings?]
from the Qin and Han (221
B.C.E.
- 220
C.E.
)
have been fully captured. This ancient, majestic and robust tree
with its unique vitality has been planted in a Ming dynasty terra cotta
pot of bright red color, shaped like a lotus flower. Tree and pot
rest on a stone block featuring nine lionheads which dates from the late
Yuan dynasty (14th century), an arrangement which perfectly complements
an already beautiful penjing. Tree, container and stand enhance each
other's beauty. Since this penjing is an excellent, rare work of
art as well as one of the miniature trees more advanced in age, it is called
a "living antique." The tree is being maintained at China's famous
penjing garden, Suzhou's Tiger Hill area Wan Jing Shan Zhuang
("Mountain Village of 10,000 Views").
10
Said to have the most beautiful
gardens in all the country, Suzhou has over one hundred and fifty gardens.
Combining traditional elements of pavilions, temples, rock sculptures,
trees and flowers, these gardens were privately built with one dating back
to at least to the tenth century. Most were restored in the early
1950s and now belong to "the people."
In the
Humble Administrator's
Garden
-- built by a tax collector who extorted enough money to construct
it in 1513 -- there are quality bonsai being actively developed and trained
along with beautiful old specimens of many different varieties of trees.
On some of the impressive Chinese elms, very fine twiggy growth has been
developed on old collected stumps which were partially carved and allowed
to rot. Many of these are six or seven feet high
[sic]
in pots or trays of agreeable dimensions. Also in this garden can
be seen many beautifully trained
Juniperus procumbens
in classical styles. Tables full of
wei-xing
(aka
mame, trees under
six inches or so), identically styled, are waiting to be sold.
From 1547 comes the following:
"As for the growing of pine, cypress and
hai tong
in dishes, they mostly imitate a pictorial idea (
hua yi
). Aslant and supine ones are in the [painter] Ma Yuan (fl.
c.1190-1260) technique, those
with erect trunks and spreading foliage in the Guo Xi (
c. 1001-90)
technique. Other forms, such as 'phoenix and crane on pavilion and
pagoda' are variously refined and marvellous, and can be laid out for pure
enjoyment."
11
SHANGHAI
School (capital city, Shanghai; 2000 official est. municipality pop.: 16,740,000).
The trees of this school have freely curving and extending branch lines
and a firm, exquisite quality. The "Basic Shaping Through Bending,
Fine Shaping Through Pruning (Coarse Wiring and Fine Pruning)" training
technique is employed on over 140 species of trees. Conifers like
the Five-Needle Pine (
Pinus parvifolia
), Black Pine (
Pinus thunbergiana
), Yew Podocarpus (
Podocarpus macrophylla
), and Juniper are emphasized.
Many deciduous and flowering/fruit bearing species are also used.
The trunk and branches are coiled and curved with metal wire -- usually
iron, though it rusts easily -- instead of palm fibres, while the branchlets are meticulously pruned
over a period of several years. Trees trained in this manner feature
trunk and branch lines that extend and bend freely. Curves are smooth,
and the increasingly dense branchlets form bold, angular lines as a result
of pruning. The whole impression is one of solidity contained in
softness. There is great variety in the non-formula natural shapes
and appearances of Shanghai penjing, which also include renowned delicate
and exquisitely trained "palm-sized" miniatures. All this testifies
to the high level of workmanship found in this region.
12
Shanghai's contribution
to the development of landscape penjing has been substantial. In
the past, hard rocks were frequently appreciated as viewing stones, while
water absorbent soft rocks were displayed in high-rimmed containers.
These pots only allowed for the contemplation of the peak's posture; the
view of the foot of the mountains was obstructed. From the 1960s
on, Dong Shuyu, Yin Zimin, and other penjing masters have been boldly creating
new types of landscapes. They were the first to use flat trays made
from Fan stone or marble. This enables the viewer to appreciate the
mountain base -- zigzagging and rich in variation -- the interplay of mountains
and water, as well as the peak and central parts of the mountains.
The old practice of including an excessive number of brightly colored accessories
was discarded.
These artists eagerly tapped
the rich reservoir of hard rocks for use as penjing material. Landscapes
were created from Axe-cut Rock, Stone Bamboo Shoot Rock, Ying Rock, Xuancheng
Rock, and others. These masters also pioneered the cultivation of
miniature trees and other plants on these rocks. At present, miniature
landscapes from Shanghai may be divided further into roughly two categories:
1.) Those made from hard
rock which recreate a near scene. Enormous peaks scrape the sky,
while beautiful plants grow luxuriantly further down the mountains.
Rocks and trees are combined in an ingenious manner.
2.) Those made of soft rock
such as Coral Rock, Pumice, and Sedimentary Sandstone. The rocks
are meticulously carved
[sic]
to bring out the outlines and grain, the
li. Small grasses are cultivated
on the rocks, and trays typically feature a wide expanse of water.
Artists employ a "Flat Distance" or "Deep Distance" composition to recreate
the country south of the Yangtze River, a land of rivers and lakes.
13
The Shanghai Botanic Garden
is the largest and most famous in China. There,
Yun-Hua Hu is an Assistant Director of the Administration Bureau and formerly
(1977) Curator of Penjing. A graduate of the Beijing School of Forestry
and author of several books, he has also been Chairman of the Chinese Flower
and Bonsai Association. The Garden is undoubtedly the center of dwarf
tree culture in that country. There are eight to nine hundred penjing
at the garden from all the various parts of China. The collection
includes a large number of old trees inherited from the Guomintang Government,
and some were gifts from Japan in 1930. During the domestic turmoils
these trees were protected and spared.
The Shanghai Botanic Garden
contains 120 varieties of trees and uses twenty different kinds of rocks.
It is managed by a production brigade of fifty experience workers.
In addition to the main collection, a large number of miniature landscapes
and trees are created for export. The production of penjing has been
increasing: in 1980 or so, some twenty thousand were sold from here (most
of these going to Japan!), and by 1988 the number exported had doubled.
The reception area holds
a fine educational museum with a photographic reproduction of a mural found
in a 1700-year-old
Jin
Dynasty tomb showing
the dwarfed trees being presented as gifts. This is said to be the
oldest historical proof of the existence of this art. There is also
a display of antique pots and tools, as well as a fine shop where scroll
paintings, books, pots, and bases can be purchased. Furthermore,
bonsai enthusiasts from outside of China can be shown the penjing collections
not open to the public.
14
NANTONG
School (principal city, Nantong; 1958 unoff. est. pop.: 240,000): Their specialty is
the Shrubby Yew Podocarpus (
Podocarpus macrophylla
var. maki), whose trunks were trained with palm fiber strings into
"S" shape (two and a half curves) and lean forward. The branches
are pruned into clear-cut pieces. The foliage layers are arranged
on either side, and the whole is a unique design.
15
ZHEJIANG
School (capital city,
Hangzhou
; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 2,105,200; 2000 province pop.: 46,770,000):
A newcomer to penjing, it uses the same species as the Shanghai School
with the foliage now trained into distinctly shaped layers. To treat
the trees, the artists use metal wire and palm fiber strings combined with
meticulous pruning, such as pruning back buds and shoots and removing terminal
buds. Much attention is paid to rhythmic change and the artists strive
for dynamic beauty. Artists in Zhejiang Province do not always seek
to curve a tree's trunk. Especially when training the Five-Needle
Pine, they often aim for an erect bole and strive to highlight such features
as venerability, a lean strong frame and a majestic tall appearance.
Hence, the most common styles as "Tall Trunk" and "Forest Style."
In the beautiful city of
Hangzhou can be found the
Hangzhou Flower Nursery, established in 1958.
Here can be found all types of flowers, rose gardens, and a two and one-half
acre bonsai garden. There, thirty-five hundred potted plants, many
of which are large pines thirty to one hundred years old, are cared for
by a staff of fifteen. The collection includes Five-Needle Pine (
Pinus parvifolia
), shimpaku (
Juniperus chinensis
'sargentii'), elms, Black Pines (
Pinus thunbergiana
), Ginkgo, pomegranate (
Punica granatum
), olive, zelkova, Fukien Tea (
Ehretia buxifolia
), Yew Podocarpus (aka Buddha Pine,
Podocarpus macrophylla
), and the Sparrow Plum (
Sageratia theezans
).
The collection has three
purposes: for the pleasure of tourists, to provide bonsai for exchange
with other cities, and for research. There seemed to be little active
training, and it was some visiting enthusiasts' impression the nursery
was a holding area for trees to be exported for much needed foreign exchange.
To experienced eyes, however, the old Chinese pots could be far more exciting
than row after row of similarly shaped pines, healthy and short needled
as they are. The trunks of the trees are said to be often pounded
or carved by the workers, and "destructive worms" are put into the trunks
to give them an aged look.
This populous city of Hangzhou
in the early 1980s had only one amateur club with thirty members who met
once a year for a bonsai demonstration.
16
HUNAN
School (capital city, Changsha; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 1,736,900;
2000 province pop.: 64,400,000): From here can be found
Sabina chinensis
cv.
procumbens
(Juniper) penjing trained into "Hanging
Cliff Style."
17
HUBEI
School (capital city, Wuhan [Hankow]; 1998 official est. city unit pop.:
4,284,300; 2000 province pop.: 60,280,000): This School effected
a breakthrough in styling techniques with a penjing named "Autumn Melancholy."
As a result of pruning, branches and foliage appear to be fluttering off
one side. The artist sculpted a penjing which vividly portrays a
tree attacked by heavy winds.
18
HENAN
School (capital city, Zhengzhou; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 2,035,000;
2000 province pop.: 92,560,000): The specialty here are trimmed and wired Chinese tamarisk (
Tamarix chinensis
), Negundo Chastetree (
Vitex negundo
), and Common Pomegranate (
Punica granatum
).
19
SHANDONG
School (capital city, Jinan; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 2,257,900;
2000 province pop.: 90,790,000): In the city can be found landscape
penjing using Tortoise Vein Rock and Green Laoshan Rock, both known for
their bold yet unpretentious character. These are often used to depict
Peng Lai, the magical abode of the Immortals, or Mt. Tai in its majestic
grandeur. The rocks' contours are imposing and rugged.
20
The collection of potted
trees at the
Beijing Botanic Garden
was only established in the late 1970s.
The curator in the early 1980s was Zhu Ge Zheng-wing, who had studied penzai
culture in Shanghai. The art of penzai had been almost obliterated
during China's modern political upheavals, and thus most of the trees here
were young and lacked vigor and the look of age.
21
LIAONING
School (capital city, Sheyang; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 4,242,200;
2000 province pop.: 42,380,000): Landscape penjing from this School
are made from Petrified Wood to represent the steep mountain sceneries
of China's North.
22
JILIN
School (capital city, Changchun [Hsinking]; 1998 official est. city unit
pop.: 2,767,300; 2000 province pop.: 27,280,000): Pumice penjing
are also created here, again striving to recapture the steep mountain sceneries
of the North.
23
Distinct from the Su schools (and
Lingnan, below) is the
SICHUAN
or
CHUAN [Ch'uan] School
(capital city, Chengdu;
1998 official est. city unit pop.: 3,272,900; 2000 province: 83,290,000):
The trees of this school are characterized by many flowing curves and upward
spirals. The plants are twisted into a multitude of shapes.
They appear old, grand and dignified, with a touch of the unusual.
Palm fiber strings are used for training. Based on strict patterns,
most traditional penjing here have their boles and branches curved into
a variety of shapes. Each bonsai has a focal point, poetically referred
to as a "pearl embraced by a cavorting dragon." Popular formulae
for trunk coiling are "Square Turns (Corner Bends)," "Curves With Paired
Branches," "Reversing Curves," "Large Curves With Drooping Branches," "Straight
Trunk With Crown," "Coiling Dragon Embracing a Staff or Pillar," and "Old
Woman Combing Her Hair or Wife Applying Make-up." Branches may be
twisted to appear as "Flat Branches," "Spiralling or Coiled Branches,"
"Half-Flat, Half-Spiralling Branches," and so on. Collectively, these
are referred to as "Earthworm Curves"
In addition to the traditional
standardized styles, the Sichuan School has created many naturally shaped
trees in recent years, using traditional Chinese paintings for reference.
Penjing in the Straight, Reclining and Slanting Trunk Styles as well as
the Hanging Cliff Style are particularly common. Exposed roots resembling
dragon claws are also frequently to be found here. Trees appear unsophisticated
yet convey a sense of elegance and dignity. With flowering and fruit
bearing species such as Common Flowering Quince (
Chaenomeles lagenaria
), Spiny Persimmon (
Diospyros armata
), and Snow-in-summer (
Gerastium tomentosum
), trunk and limbs are curved in an effort to reduce the tree's size and to
enhance the visual effect of abundant flowers/fruits and exuberant foliage.
Other specialties of the Sichuan School are
Ginkgo biloba
with Stalactite Trunks, bamboo penjing in the Forest Style, Yew Podocarpus, garden camellia
and azalea.
24
Sichuan landscape penjing
artists use mostly sedimentary sandstone, and popular motifs include the
hazards of the Three Yangtze River Gorges, the elegant beauty of Mt. Emei
[one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China and mentioned in
the "Poem About Two Stones" by Su Shi (aka Su Dongpo, 1037-1101)], the
tranquility of Qingcheng, and the grandeur of Jianmen.
25
Regional Styles and Schools:
THE LINGNAN SCHOOL
(Southern)
These are from regions which
enjoy a warm climate and plentiful rainfall throughout the year.
The temperatures a relatively high and there is a long growing season,
and so plants grow luxuriantly and retain their lush green foliage in the
winter. Reflecting this environment, the penjing created here frequently
feature an erect majestic posture and exuberant growth.
LINGNAN
School in
Guangdong
province (capital city, Guangzhou; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 4,173,800;
2000 province pop.: 86,420,000): Artists of this School select tree
species for their ability to shoot from old wood and their compatibility
with the "Grow and Clip" training technique. Hedge Sageretia (
Sageretia theezans
), Orange
Jasmine (
Murraya paniculata
), Fukian Tea (
Ehretia microphylla
), Chinese Elm (
Ulmus parvifolia
), Japanese Zelkova (
Zelkova serrata
), and Fig -- particularly
banyan (
Ficus microcarpa
) -- are the most common materials.
The majority of penjing
trained by this School do not have their foliage arranged in clusters.
Trees are noted for the unrestrained, natural flow of trunk and branch
lines, and their bold, vigorous appearance. Lingnan penjing appear
lean and hard like twisted iron. Even in their winter state the trees
are not an insipid or bleak sight.
Only in the past few decades
has there been a gradual development toward more natural styles.
Today, the shape of a penjing is largely determined by the tree's natural
growth pattern. The artists are not bound by any formula. The
artists have attained a high level of proficiency in pruning: trees taper
from base to apex, and the proportions between trunk, limbs and branchlets
are highly developed. If one were to cut off any branch at random,
that branch itself would display the shape of a grown tree. This
highlights the exquisite results that can be achieved by the "Grow and
Clip" method. Bending by wires, weights and other "artificial" means
of training is not utilized, but only the technique of selective pruning.
The Lingnan artist strives to reveal, not control, the nature of a specimen,
a goal very much in line with Daoism. Spontaneity and whimsy are
encouraged. (Lao-zi would be proud.)
26
A notable style from by-gone
days was "Ancient Tree" or "Military General Tree," the traditional Lingnan
penjing featuring a trunk coiled vertically like a snake. Resembling
arms, the main branches extended from either side with a downward tilt.
The limbs of each tree formed five or seven very flat "bases" of horizontal
leaf growth and a flat treetop. All trees had to follow this preconceived
and carefully arranged pattern, and a rigid appearance was the result.
27
This has been replaced by
at least two modern, non-formula styles, "Large Tree" (or "Tall Tree")
and "Towering Tree." The former has trees with an erect trunk, numerous
branches, and an elegant, lush, dense crown. Sturdy and mighty, these
trees typify the bold, free personality of the huge tree in the wild.
A notable example of this is "Old Tree Leaning Over Water", 120 cm high
and 80 years old. This was created by Lu Xueming, a well-known master
who had studied under the great "Large Tree" artist, Kong Taichu [K'ung
T'ai-ch'u]. Eager to reach beyond the limits of convention, Lu took
the "Large Tree" type as his starting point from where he zealously explored
new possibilities. He created penjing in a slanted style, and trees
featuring a major branch thrusting out clearly bear his "signature."
Lu is only one of five nationally certified bonsai masters in all of China.
The other modern style,
"Towering Tree," has trees noted for their lean, clean, tall, pure appearance.
Growth is luxuriant, although the lines are well-spaced with a sparse yet
coherent foliage distribution. The trees have an elegant, floating
quality and impart a certain aloofness from worldly affairs, a desire to
rise above the trivial. Emphasis on the soaring trunkline and small,
open -- rather than lush -- foliage masses portrays a desire to shed the
cares of a material world and reach heavenward. The most famous example
of this style is another major work by Lu Xuenming, a 57"H Surinam cherry
(
Eugenia uniflora
) named "Holding Up the Sky." It has become part of the
Weyerhaueser Pacific Rim Collection.
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The founder and representative
artist of this style is the Buddhist monk Su Ren (aka Su Jen or So-yan),
from the Haichuang Monastery. Other outstanding followers of the
Lingnan School include Messrs. Wu York Yu, Liu Fei Yat, Hung Tai Chor,
Mok Man Fu, Luk Hok Ming, Tsui Hung Pui, Chan Kam Tak, Yu Shun Nam, Tang
Heung Hoi, Wong Kam, Chan Tak Cheung, Kong Chee, Lee Shu Chik, Cheung Sui
To, and Jim Ting Bor.
In Guangdong province, landscapes
made from Ying Rock are common. Rock pieces are piled in an ingenious
manner to create an appearance of both grandeur and elegance, or to effect
rock formations which either thrust into the sky and pierce the clouds
or lie across the container and stretch toward the horizon.
Most of the ornamental objects
(cottages, boats, pavilions, and bridges, for example) used in
Chinese miniature landscapes are made of clay from Foshan in Guangdong province.
There are also some carved out of Qingtian stones and some made of lead.
A new style from Foshan artist Han Xue Nian is what could be termed
"growing in/along a wall."
Replicating the habit of Ficus to grow from seeds in bird
droppings falling on masonry, the unusual custom containers for these have a hidden soil pocket for the
roots to grow from. The visible surface roots then crawl over and around the bricks in the
face of the container, hugging its surface as if it really was part of a building.
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Also in the Lingnan School are artists in
FUJIAN
province (capital city, Fuzhou; 1998 official est. city unit pop.: 1,545,900;
2000 province pop.: 34,710,000). These are known for their
penzai
Indian Laurel figs (
Ficus retusa
) which are of a jade-like green color throughout the year and possessing
aerial roots drooping from the trunks. The limbs and exposed roots
are coiled into bizarre shapes on the container surfaces. These trees
convey a sense of the Southern country.
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Southern landscape penjing
are renowned for their elegance and beauty. For instance, those made in
GUANGXI
province (capital city, Nanning;
2000 pop. for Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region: 44,890,000): These are frequently made from local Sedimentary Sandstone
or Reed Pipe Rock and depict the landscape around Guilin. The essence
of the scenery along the Li River, with its jade-like peaks, elegant waters,
bizarre caves, and gorgeous rocks, is fully captured.
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