Month: June 2009

As ignorant as I may sound, before the classes, I had this impression that bonsai is like a gardening style that only grandfathers love. However, after learning more about bonsai art and meeting some bonsai enthusiasts, I was quite surprised to find that there are actually quite a big group of bonsai enthusiasts, both women and men, who are in their 30’s and 40’s.

And instead of a gardening style, I should say that bonsai is a type of art. Bonsai takes pruning and controlling growth of plants to the extreme.

Out of curiosity, I took a few bonsai classes a few weeks ago. Before I took these classes, I had had zero knowledge in bonsai, and I wasn’t at all interested in growing a bonsai. I was just curious in finding out what separates good bonsai tree from bad bonsai tree. Why do some bonsai tree in the Flower Market cost less than HKD 100, while some others are being sold in auctions for a six-digit price? After taking the bonsai classes, I have finally learned the answers of these questions. Moreover, I have developed a deeper appreciation and respect for this special form of art.