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2010 Guangzhou International Bonsai Invitation Exhibition

Zhongshan Memorial Hall
Zhongshan Memorial Hall

Besides the 3-in-1 exhibition in Guangzhou, China in October, there is another big bonsai event in Guangzhou that is highly anticipated by many bonsai enthusiasts; it is the 2010 Guangzhou International Bonsai Invitation Exhibition (2010年广州国际盆景邀请展).

To celebrate the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in November 2010 and promote bonsai to the world, a bonsai and suiseki exhibition – Guangzhou International Bonsai Invitation Exhibition – will be held from November 10 to November 27 in Guangzhou Zhongshan Memorial Hall (广州中山纪念堂). Among the 500-800 bonsai that will be shown in the exhibition, there will not only be beautiful bonsai of Lingnan and other Chinese penjing styles, but also a large number of bonsai from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other countries around the world. Moveover, according to the press release, there will be presentations and discussion sessions with well-known bonsai masters and bonsai experts sharing their bonsai tips and techniques, as well as their thoughts on the up-coming development and changes in the world of bonsai.

I am very much looking forward to this bonsai exhibition, especially since my bonsai teacher – Lingnan penjing master Wong Chiu Shing – and a few other senior bonsai members will also showcase their masterpieces in this exhibition. Indeed, many of us in the Institute of Lingnan Penjing, Hong Kong (香港嶺南盆景藝術學會) will together take a trip to Guangzhou on November 9th to attend the open ceremony of this exhibition. And definitely I will share what I have seen and learned in the exhibition when I am back from Guangzhou in November.

Here is the official website of 2010 Guangzhou International Bonsai Invitation Exhibition.  Too bad that it’s only in Chinese…

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Bonsai Events Featured Articles

3-in-1 Exhibition in Guangzhou, Oct 2010

There will be a very interesting art exhibition of bonsai, suiseki, painting, and antique furniture during the golden week national holiday next month in Guangzhou, China. This is so tempting and it keeps luring me to go regardless of my overly packed schedule and the extremely unpleasant traffic and inevitable crowd during the country’s busiest travel season in the year. While I am still debating whether or not I should go, I know I should share what I have learned about this art exhibition with other bonsai, suiseki, and art lovers. One should definitely check out this art exhibition if possible.

Chencun Flower World, Guangzhou
Chencun Flower World

This event is a combination of the 2010 China (Chencun) International Art Fair (2010中國(陳村)國際藝術博覽會)and the Eighth Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Bonsai Art Fair (第八屆粵港澳臺盆景藝術博覽會)and the Retrospective Exhibition of “2006 China (Chencun) International Bonsai and Suiseki Exhibition” (“2006中國(陳村)國際盆景賞石博覽會”回顧展). The art exhibition will be held September 30 to October 4 in Chencun Flower World (陳村花卉世界).

The art festival held in Chencun will have three themes: art fair, international bonsai exhibition, and rock appreciation expo. The bonsai show will feature 250 top class bonsai, brings together bonsai school of Lingnan, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, and others. The bonsai exhibition will also show the “18 Luohan” (十八羅漢) – the Ficus bonsai which costs over a million renminbi.

Art collectors, bonsai and stone professionals of over 30 countries and regions will attend this art fair in which the fourth China (Chencun) International Art Fair will be held in the newly built 1,500 square meters Flower World Art Pavilion A (花卉世界藝術展覽A館). This particular art fair is currently one of the three most influential national art fair in China. Exhibition includes Chinese painting, calligraphy, antique furniture and a variety of stones, jade, crystals and other minerals.

This art exhibition will also show some very valuable national art treasures, including a 5000 year-old Thuja root carving, and the very famous “Along the River during the Qingming Festival” (清明上河圖) which is the work of Song Dynasty artist – Zhang Zeduan. In addition, there will be a large-scale of calligraphy and painting showing in the art exhibition, including art works by famous masters such as Qi baishi (齊白石), Zhang Daqian (張大千), and Yang Shanshen (楊善深).

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Landscape Penjing – Three Ways to Attach a Tree to a Rock

In Lingnan Penjing, there are three main ways to attach a tree to a rock for landscape penjing.

  • Root-Attaching (附根)
  • Stem-Attaching (附莖)
  • Ride-on-Rock (騎石, similar to Sekijoju)

Since the first day I learned landscape penjing, I have been told that root-attaching method is the most challenging, yet, yields the most spectacular scenery in landscape penjing. And while stem-attaching comes second, ride-on-rock method comes last. Indeed, Teacher Wong tells us not to use ride-on-rock method, but encourages us to use root-attaching method and stem-attaching method when making our landscape penjing.

Root-Attaching (附根) and Stem-Attaching (附莖)

Root-Attaching is a method in which the roots of the bonsai tree grows along and attaches to the cracks of the rocks. The roots attach onto the rock firmly enough and can hold up the tree strongly on the rock. Root-Attaching method needs a small tree with very long roots to begin with. If there is no small tree with long roots on hand, we will retreat to using stem-attaching method which attach the stem on the rock while allowing the roots to grow in the soil of the bonsai pot.

Landscape Penjing - Rock Bonsai Landscape Bonsai

Ride-on-Rock (騎石, similar to Sekijoju)

Similar to Japanese bonsai’s Sekijoju, ride-on-rock is a method in which the bonsai tree grows on top of the rock, and the roots of the tree wraps around a rock. The rock is the base of the trunk, with the roots exposed to different angles as they traverse the rock and then descend into the soil below.

Landscape Penjing - Rock Bonsai Landscape Penjing - Rock Bonsai