from ChinaCulture.org ( http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_map/node_499.htm )
This Page Last Updated: October 29, 2023
| "Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, certain historic, cultural and economic factors led people in certain areas to shape trees into extremely rigid forms. Very strict rules were codified for each school and set them apart. Most of this is history today. And I think it is very important to understand that the distinct styles produced by these schools never accounted for more than just one strand in the overall development of penjing. In traditional China, penjing was an art of the scholar. Trees sculptured by scholars mirrored the tastes of their creators, reflecting a high degree of education and self-cultivation. Penjing created by scholars were never confined to rigid patterns, but instead sought to express the kind of special atmosphere emanating from Chinese paintings. I believe this kind of penjing has always been the main stream. China's six penjing schools (* below, and based on regional variations which emerged during the late Ming and Qing Dynasties, c.17th century) are not a major influence today. Clearly, there's a return to the roots, to the free-spirited kinds of penjing traditionally created by scholars." -- Qingquan Zhao 1 |
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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:
* SICHUAN (CHUAN) SCHOOL (Styles include: "Straight," Reclining and Slanting Trunk," "Hanging Cliff," "Earthworm")
SOUTHERN SCHOOLS
CATEGORIES
Regional Styles and Schools:
THE SU SCHOOL (Northern)
EASTERN SU:
WESTERN SU:
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NANTONG
School (in south-east Jiangsu province, principal city, Nantong;
2008 Prefecture-level city pop.: 7,737,900): 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.
16 See also this material in questionable English-translation. The city of Rugao on the northern bank of Yangtze River in northeast Jiangsu is also a source of penjing. ZHEJIANG School (capital city, Hangzhou ; 2009 sub-provincial city pop.: 8,100,000; 2009 provincial pop.: 51,800,000): 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. The trees are highly natural and picturesque in both form and spirit. 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), the Sparrow Plum (Sageratia theezans), maple (Acer palmatum), boxwood, (Buxus), Nandina domestica, Lagerstroemia indica, and Ilex. 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. 17 See also this material in questionable English-translation. HUNAN School (capital city, Changsha; 2009 city pop.: 6,642,200; 2009 province pop.: 63,930,000): From here can be found Sabina chinensis cv. procumbens (Juniper) penjing trained into "Hanging Cliff Style." 18 HUBEI School (capital city, Wuhan [Hankow]; 2007 sub-provincial city pop.: 9,700,000; 2009 province pop.: 59,490,000): 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. Syzygium and Pyracantha are commonly used. 19 HENAN School (capital city, Zhengzhou; 2007 Prefecture-level city pop.: 7,356,000; 2007 province pop.: 94,290,000): The specialty here are trimmed and wired Chinese tamarisk ( Tamarix chinensis, especially in the Weeping-style), Negundo Chastetree (Vitex negundo, especially in the Cloud-style), and Common Pomegranate (Punica granatum, especially in the Natural-style). 20 SHANDONG School (capital city, Jinan; 2009 city pop.: 6,036,500; 2008 province pop.: 94,000,000): 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. 21 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. Constructed with support from the government, the Penjing Collection facilities were designed and built from 1993 to 1995. Overall, the young collection has about 350 trees in all stages of development. In the early 2000s, Zhao Jianguo was the curator. He began his career at the BBG in 1983, when he transitioned from soldier to horticulture. He was sent to Shanghai to study under teachers Shao Haizhong and Wang Yi Ding, both of whom are now in their 70s. Today, Zhao supervises a staff of thirteen, seven of whom are professional Penjing artists. Zhao's biggest challenge is the climate. In Beijing, there are only five good months in the summer when the trees can make rapid growth. In winter, there can be a full month of temperatures -9 to 10°C (14 to 15°F). The first week in October the staff has already begun to move some of the most tender trees inside a greenhouse, one of many prepared for the collection. Over the next few weeks they will move ALL the trees inside, and then take them out again in spring. It is a gargantuan project to prepare for winter. The conifer (Song shu) varieties seen here are Kui bai (Sabina chinensis, a kind of juniper) and Chinese red pine (Pinus tabuliformis). Some 20 to 30 varieties of cypress (Bai shu) are cultivated. Some popular deciduous are the Chinese Chaste Tree or Jing tiao (Vitex negundo var. Heterophylla) and Chinese Smoke Tree or Huang lu (Cotinus coggygria). Other members of the collection included Gingko biloba, bamboo, Wisteria, Persimmon, Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Chinese maple (A. discolor), and Trident maple (A. buergereanum), apple (Ping guo), pear (Li), and crabapple (Hai tang). Also, Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida), Ficus and Podocarpus from warmer climes along with Orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata), and even a Bougainvillea from South America. All trees are fertilized every 10 days during the growing season from a large pot of manure tea. And all the trees are repotted every three to five years using imported soils from the regions in which the trees were collected or to which they are native. 22 LIAONING School (capital city, Shenyang; 2008 sub-provincial city pop.: 7,760,000; 2008 province pop.: 43,060,000): Landscape penjing from this School are made from Petrified Wood to represent the steep mountain sceneries of China's North. 23 JILIN School (capital city, Changchun [Hsinking]; 2007 sub-provincial city pop.: 7,459,000; 2009 province pop.: 27,400,000): Pumice penjing are also created here, again striving to recapture the steep mountain sceneries of the North. 24 Distinct from the Su schools (and Lingnan, below) is the SICHUAN or CHUAN [Ch'uan] School (capital city, Chengdu; 2007 city pop.: 11,000,670; 2009 province pop.: 81,620,000): 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 wiring and trimming shapes the branches and leaves into "plates" and makes the trunks expressively sinuous. 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; serenity, grace, steepness and majesty are noted. With flowering and fruit bearing species such as Common Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles lagenaria), Spiny Persimmon (Diospyros armata), and Snow-in-summer (Serissa foetida), Lagerstroemia, Damnacanthus, Bauhinia, Osmanthus, and Ilex the 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. 25 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. 26 See also this material in questionable English-translation, and this 2022 article about "Aesthetic Analysis of the Regular Style of Sichuan Potted Landscapes in China."
Regional Styles and Schools:
THE LINGNAN SCHOOL (Southern)
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NOTES
1.
Albert, Karin "A Chinese Penjing Artist Visits America,"
Bonsai Magazine, BCI, Vol. XXXI, No. 4, July/August 1992, pg. 13. Reprinted on
http://www.venuscomm.com/Interview.html.
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