As said earlier in another post – Chinese Penjing & Japanese Bonsai, the main difference between bonsai and penjing (or Chinese bonsai) is one of scope. While Japanese bonsai is about perfecting a miniature tree in the container, Chinese penjing is about creating natural scenes using different elements of nature like rocks, stones, water, sand, and of course, trees.
Here, let me introduce you to three main categories of penjing.
Shumu Penjing (樹木盆景)
Shumu penjing (or tree penjing) depicts the image of one or several trees. Trees are the main material and form the dominant element in the composition. What’s called “shumu penjing” in China and “bonsai” in Japan and today in the west are actually rooted in the same concept. This concept has manifested itself in different styles, yet, the underlying idea remains the same. Here are some examples of bonsai styles: Informal Upright, Twin or Multi-Trunk, Slanting, Semi-Cascade, Cascade Literati, Driftwood.
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Examples of Shumu Penjing (tree penjing) found in 2009 Guangzhou Penjing (Bonsai) Exhibition
Shanshui Penjing (山水盆景)
Shanshui penjing (or landscape penjing) depicts a mountain scenery. In terms of material, it features mostly rocks. Unlike Japanese bonsai, rocks play a big part in Chinese bonsai. It is not unusual for a landscape penjing to have mostly rocks and very few trees. Trees may or may not appear. if they are included, they play a minor role in the overall composition.
Example of a shanshui penjing (landscape penjing) created by Penjing Master Wu Yee Sun
Shuihan Penjing (水旱盆景)
A third category of penjing in China is shuihan penjing (or water-and-land penjing). Water-and-land penjing depicts not only a landscape consisting of mountains and water but also the image of a tree or a forest. As for material, this type of penjing employs trees, rocks, and water.
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Examples of shuihan penjing (water-and-land penjing) by Penjing Master Qingquan Zhao
4 replies on “The Main Categories of Chinese Bonsai (Penjing)”
can you kindly tell us the type of the 2 trees presented on the “Shumu penjing ” section
they are amazing
Yes, they are beautiful trees, aren’t they!?
And both of them are Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata, 九里香 in Chinese).
indeed, amazing tree.
I went to a local nursery – they have tree which is 4 years old and cost something like 90$
but the texture of the trunk is diffrent.is is not so smoove like the tree that you present. but when I peeled some of the bark then I saw under the smooth white like the tree in your pictures
I wonder if this is how the bark looks when the tree is old or they pilled of some of the bark ?
Yes I think so. Orange Jasmine’s bark is dark gray in color, but underneath the sub-bark has a creamy, off-white color.