Chinese Penjing: Miniature Trees and Landscapes

By Ken Schultz

Several years ago I was in the Plantland over on Westerville Road when they were having a clearance on their gardening books. They had three or four bonsai books among the selection. I must confess that I bought this book that day because I can't resist a bargain, and as it is a coffee table size book, its original price probably would have kept me from buying it. This book is quite different than any "bonsai book" as it truly shows the Chinese styles of miniature trees and landscapes. Many pages are full color plates showing trees on exquisite stands. Each tree has a title or name, for example, "Indolent Dragon" then the scientific name is listed followed by the height in centimeters and the age of the tree, finally the name of the owner. There are 155 such entries. The trees range in age from 5 years to "over" 500 years old "Artistic Spirit of the Qin and Han Dynasties". There are also Penjing landscapes, for example "Reflections of the setting Sun" listed as bauxite, 120 cm long. This is displayed on a white marble tray, which is sitting on a bamboo stand.

To say the least the photo section of this book is fascinating, but that's not the whole story. There is a section on Penjing Techniques. This section shows 12 tree styles. Some resemble the Japanese Bonsai styles but others are unique. The Penjing styles include; Connected Root Style, Reclining Trunk Style, and Withered Trunk Style. There are a series of drawings showing the rock on white marble settings. This is followed by "regional" styles; Nantong - two and ½ curves, Sichuan Traditional form and the Square Turn style.

I was surprised when the section on styles was followed by a section on obtaining materials. This section includes five pages on different grafting techniques. This then is followed by "Twisting and Exposing Roots", and "Carving as a Method to Enhance the Trunk." There is even a section on carving rocks to create landscape Penjing. And finally thinking of everything, there is a section on Penjing Display which discusses stands and indoor versus outdoor displays.