Check out this article in South China Morning Post which introduces penjing (bonsai in Chinese) and the resources available in Hong Kong for those who want to learn penjing in this bustling rambunctious, cramped city.
The article also introduces Teacher Wong Chau-Shing and Institute of Lingnan Penjing. 😀
I have two rooted Elaeagnus conferta (胡颓子in Chinese) on my bonsai table. I have never given them much thought, but only until recently, my interest in this tree aroused when I saw a beautiful twin trunk Elaeagnus conferta in the bonsai collection of Mr. Wu Cheng-Fa, Chairman of Hong Kong Penjing and Artstone Society.
My two rooted Elaeagnus conferta
Common name: Thory Elaeagnus, Wild Olive
Native: China – Guangxi, Yunnan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia
There usually is a layer of silvery brownish scales covering the leaves of Elaeagnus, giving the tree a silver to grey-brown look from a distance (that’s probably where the nickname “Silverberry” comes from).
The flowers are small, yet fragrant. Fruit is a fleshy drupe with a single seed that is edible. Chinese use the fruits and the leaves of Elaeagnus for food and medicine.
Every once a while, I receive emails from bonsai lovers or family / friends of some bonsai lovers asking me for suggestions of sightseeing location in Hong Kong. Of course, they are not expecting answers like Ocean Park or Times Square, but somewhere with trees and bonsai pots and accessories that can make bonsai lovers all happy and excited. And one of the few places that I would suggest is Chi Lin Nunnery.
You can find more photos in the album of Chi Lin Nunnery – Bonsai Garden in Hong Kong in Happy Bonsai Gallery.
Chi Lin Nunnery is located in Kowloon. The closet subway station is Diamond Hill.
Chi Lin Nunnery does not have the largest bonsai collection, but the trees that grow in the nunneary are so beautiful. When I was in there, I felt like I was in a magnified landscape bonsai.
In Chi Lin Nunnery, trees that are grow on the ground are also trimmed beautifully, as those in a bonsai pot.
Besides bonsai trees, there are also a suiseki gallery.
Some beautiful bonsai in the nunnery.
RIGHT: This Fire-thorn ( Pyracantha crenulata, 火棘 in Chinese) is protected by a tent so to avoid the birds from eating the fruits on the tree.