At the end of a three-month visit to the United States, Chinese penjing
master Qingquan Zhao describes his impressions of American bonsai, his artistic
development, and the situation of penjing in today's China.
The interview was conducted by Karin Albert of Lotus International in Athens,
Georgia in 1991.
Q: Mr. Zhao, you now have spent three months in America. You were a headliner at the Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention in Naples, and you've done programs with quite a few clubs along the Eastern seaboard. You've also met with some of America's most outstanding bonsai artists and viewed their collections. What impressions of American bonsai will you take home to China with you?
A: First of all, I have noticed that bonsai is developing very rapidly in this country. America has a fairly short history of bonsai. From what I have seen, I can tell that some remarkable accomplishments have been attained in a relatively short period of time. So one can only conclude that in America, bonsai is developing at a very fast pace. Moreover, given the large and quickly growing number of hobbyists, the size of the country and its wealth of natural resources, both trees and rocks, the future of bonsai in America is bound to be promising. Most of the bonsai I have seen in America clearly show a strong Japanese influence. This is, of course, only natural, given the fact that in the U.S., this art has been introduced and taught by Japanese. I have noticed, however, that an American style of bonsai is beginning to emerge.
Q: How exactly would you define the art of penjing, and what, in your eyes, are the main differences between penjing and bonsai?
A: I believe that the main difference between "bonsai" and "penjing" is one of scope. "Penjing" is based on a larger, "bonsai" a more limited concept. Penjing is the art of expressing any natural scenery or its elements in a container, using natural ingredients such as real trees and real rocks. It is divided into several categories. One category is called "shanshui penjing" ("mountain and water penjing" or "landscape penjing"). This type of penjing depicts a mountain scenery. In terms of material, it features mostly rocks. Trees may or may not appear; if they are included, they play a minor role in the overall composition.
Another category is called "shumu penjing" ("tree penjing"). This kind of penjing depicts the image of one or several trees. Trees are the main material and form the dominant element in the composition. You see, what's called "shumu penjing" in China and "bonsai" in Japan and today in America is actually rooted in the same concept. This concept may manifest itself in different styles, but the underlying idea remains the same.
A third category of penjing in China is "shuihan penjing" ("Water-and-Land Penjing"). This is the type I have introduced during this visit. Penjing in the "Water-and-Land" style not only depict a landscape consisting of mountains and water but also the image of a tree or a forest. As material, this type of penjing employs trees, rocks, and water.
Q: Apart from scope, do you see any other major differences between what the Chinese call "shumu penjing" and the Japanese bonsai?
A: Well, there are differences in style. When creating a "shumu penjing", the Chinese artist pays alot of attention to variation inherent in contrast. In each piece, we seek to generate opposites: upright vs. slanting, straight vs. curved, solid vs. void, dominant vs. subordinate, dense vs. sparse, etc. If done successfully, these opposing factors unite in a harmonious fashion. This produces a work of art full of liveliness and uniqueness. In general, the Chinese penjing artist adopts many of the principles encountered in traditional landscape painting. We observe the ways trees have been rendered in these paintings, and we strive for similar effects in our work. In the Chinese art of penjing, no strict rules apply, although we follow some basic principles and guidelines.
Q: Mr. Zhao, during this visit to the United States, you have introduced to Americans a new form of penjing: the "Shuihan" or "Water-and-Land" style. It's a style you pioneered in China. How did you first become involved with penjing? And what factors led you to develop this particular style?
A: My family and the environment I grew up in played important roles. I was born and raised in Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, a city which served as a great center of culture and learning for many centuries. Penjing has a long history in Yangzhou. My grandfather was a penjing hobbyist, and so was my father. I grew up with lots of penjing around our home. At that time, our family employed gardeners to take care of our collection. I would watch them shape and maintain our trees with fascination. As a young boy, I would experiment a little with penjing, arrange some trees and rocks together in a container, just for fun.
I became seriously involved with penjing when I was around twenty. At that time, my father introduced me to an old friend of his, Xu Shaobai. Mr. Xu, now 83 years old, a retired professor of horticulture at the Nanjing Agricultural Institute, was one of the very first persons in modern China to engage in penjing research. He became my mentor, and I owe much of my artistic development to him. In recent years, we have co-authored several books and articles on the penjing art. In addition to working with Mr. Xu, I learned from some of China's best known old masters: Kong Taizhou of the Lingnan School, Zhu Zian of Suzhou, Yin Zimin of Shanghai, and some of the old masters of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. Considerable time was also spent with self study, reading poetry and studying traditional Chinese paintings and painting techniques.
I began developing the "Water-and-Land" style in the 1970's. Several influences should be mentioned: In Yangzhou, where I grew up, I encountered penjing where rocks served as dividers between a land part containing trees and a water part. This forerunner of today's "Water-and-Land" style is also mentioned in the literature handed down to us from previous generations. So, you see, a traditional form served as the foundation from which this new style emerged. I began to use the kind of very shallow containers seen in modern mountain-and-water penjing, usually marble slabs. That way, it's possible to view a mountain or hill in its entirety, including its base. Regarding the placement of trees and rocks and the arrangement of land and water parts, I've adopted principles from traditional Chinese painting. I've also been guided by Yangzhou's classical garden art. In all of Yangzhou's famous gardens, water, rocks, and trees are ubiquitous and inextricably linked. These garden scenes could really be described as gigantic Water-and-Land penjing. This is the environment I grew up in. Furthermore, I've been inspired by some of the great landscapes found in China, especially in the Southwestern provinces.
Q: Aren't there six main schools in China? What do you think about them? Are the differences substantial?
A: People in China do talk about six main schools of penjing: the Lingnan School of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces, the Chuan School of Sichuan, the Hai School of Shanghai, the Su School of Suzhou, and the Yang School of Yangzhou. All these are cities or areas in China. These schools are based on regional variations which emerged during the late Ming and Qing Dynasties. As you know, China is a very large country with tremendous variations not only in climate and natural environment, but also in cultural background. Between the 16th and the 19th century, 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 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.
There are, however, two distinct regional variations with regard to "shumu penjing" ("tree penjing"). There's a Southern and a Northern style. The Southern style, also called "Lingnan style", is found in Guangdong, Fujian, and Guangxi Provinces. Mostly broadleaf species are used. As for techniques, this style relies mainly on pruning. Artists in Southern China pioneered the technique of "Grow and Clip". Trees display the bold and very natural features characteristic of trees found in a Southern climate.
The Northern style encompasses Shanghai, Suzhou, Yangzhou, and other areas along the Yangtze River. Here, the predominant tree species are conifers. To establish the basic shape of a tree, people rely on wiring, or a combination of wiring and pruning. One main characteristic of trees trained in the Northern style is the fact that foliage is arranged in clusters. From one area to another, these clusters may take on different shapes. However, a clear definition of foliage clusters is inevitably found in the Northern style, and it is totally absent in the Lingnan style. Cultural differences account for some of the variation, but the main factor, really, is the difference in the natural environment and climate. China's South has high temperatures and high levels of humidity most of the year. Along the Yangtze River, the growing season is much shorter. There, establishing a tree's shape without wiring would be difficult, if not impossible. Northern tree species also do not lend themselves to shaping without wiring. And in their natural habitat, they display foliage clusters.
Q: So, from what you are saying, the distinction between the "Southern Style" and the "Northern Style" is really a relative one. "North" here isn't synonymous with "Northern China", is it?
A: That's right. The areas comprising the "Northern Style" of penjing really are not located in Northern China. "North" here is used as a relative term.
Q: Can penjing be found in China's real North, in places like Beijing, the capital?
A: In the past, it would have been highly unusual to encounter penjing there. The climate there is really not very suitable for plant cultivation. In the past ten years, however, penjing has become so popular in China that hobbyists now exist everywhere, even in the Northern and Northwestern provinces.
Q: Does China have alot of penjing hobbyists?
A: We don't have precise statistics, of course, but clearly penjing is very popular in China today. Cultural factors account for much of that.
Q: Do individuals keep penjing in their homes or yards? I know that living conditions in many parts of China are cramped.
A: The majority of penjing in China today are found in people's homes or yards. There are some collections on display in public parks, but most penjing are created by individual hobbyists and maintained in their homes or yards. Therefore, collections are very dispersed. Apart from some major exhibitions, it's impossible to see everything in one area. China is a huge country with a huge population. Residences are often very small. In the cities, you often see penjing on balconies. People make do with whatever they can. Where living conditions are really bad, people concentrate on weixing penjing (mame) and Water-and-Mountain penjing.
Q: Are there rules in China for the formal display of penjing?
A: People in China have certain preferences and habits, but there are no strict rules. The key question is whether we talk of outdoor or indoor display. If the display is out of doors, the main concern will be to find a place where the trees' horticultural requirements can be met. Trees will be placed on individual stands of stone or concrete, or on wooden or concrete boards. When penjing are displayed indoors, in the parlour, Chinese are fond of using scrolls of artistic calligraphy or paintings as background. We prefer to display landscape penjing and Water-and-Land penjing, which are rich in contents and complex in form, with calligraphy, especially with very simple calligraphy consisting of just a few characters. For trees, calligraphy or landscape paintings are considered the most appropriate backdrop. A three-dimensional tree displayed against a landscape scene on a flat surface makes for a wonderful contrast.
Q: To create penjing or bonsai of artistic value, is it, in your eyes, crucial to be familiar with Oriental culture? Or, to put my question differently, how does one become a good penjing or bonsai artist?
A: I don't believe that a person's cultural background is a crucial factor. As an art, penjing or bonsai is a manifestation of Nature. Therefore, what's most important is a love for the natural environment. Of course, people from different cultural backgrounds will differ in aesthetic preferences, tastes, styles, and so on. Penjing or bonsai, like any other art, contains a high degree of subjectivity. The artist's personality, educational and cultural background, and personal tastes will be reflected in his or her art. But I don't think it can be said that only a person steeped in Oriental tradition can create good penjing or bonsai.
In general, I think for a person to create a high quality piece, three main conditions need to be met:
First, certain technical aspects have to be mastered: A person must possess solid horticultural knowledge, be familiar with plant maintenance like watering, feeding, repotting, pest and disease control, etc. Familiarity with shaping techniques is also essential.
Second, a person needs to cultivate sensitivity to nature. Frequent, in-depth observations of nature are a must for the penjing or bonsai artist. This observation of nature, of course, will take place through the eyes of an individual. The artist's personality will be revealed in his or her creation.
Third, a person striving to create high quality penjing or bonsai should learn to appreciate art in general. In China, we consider the study of poetry and painting, especially landscape painting, as important requirements for an aspiring penjing artist. You see, in penjing, we seek to express the same kind of lyrical images you find in poetry. And we look for artistic effects similar to those encountered in traditional Chinese landscape paintings. These art forms are highly interrelated.
Q: Mr. Zhao, thank you very much for this interview.
This article was published in BCI Magazine, July/August 1992.