Bonsai

Bonsai is a very old and special art created by the Chinese people.

Ancient records and tomb murals prove that the art of gardening, the making of artificial hills, and bonsai had all developed by the time of the Han dynasty.

During the Six Dynasties, the Sui dynasty and T'ang dynasty, following the development of recluse literature, the art of gardening, and bonsai--the art of taking such gardens and "shrinking" them to fit into a pot--flourished.

During the T'ang dynasty people utilized greenhouses and cellars as well as other special techniques to protect vegetation and encourage early blossoming.

At the time of the Sung dynasty the art of bonsai encouraged idyllic expression and was divided into two forms: landscape bonsai and tree bonsai.

Landscape bonsai focuses upon water and rock formations. It uses various types of rock, trees, and moss to recreate mountains, plains, and streams in a shallow pot. Miniatures of such famous mountains as Mt. Tai and Mt. Omei have been thus recreated.

In tree bonsai the trees are planted in the pot to express the unique features of straight, slanted or twisted trunks. Sometimes an illusion of a precipice is created.

The ingenuity of bonsai reflects the outlook of the Chinese people on nature and art.

Firstly, bonsai may be said to be the most man-made of arts since it requires the delicate care and attention as well as the slow cultivation of human labor over a long period of time. This is especially true with tree bonsai which aims to reflect the natural scenery by creating a miniature of it. In many bonsai photographs the image is so realistic that if the pot were to be covered up it would be mistaken for the real thing.

In other words, if there's no way of getting out to view the natural landscape, then we can utilize bonsai to bring the natural scenery to a place where we can see it with our own eyes.

Secondly, cultivating bonsai requires a great deal of patience, because there is no special method to accelerate their growth. Some potted trees are several hundred years old; yet their shapes have not reached the expectation of the artist. A masterpiece requires the care of the next generation to be completed.

Bonsai illustrates the concept of art appreciation passed on from one generation to the next. According to the philosophy of the Chinese people, the completion of a masterpiece is not the end of an artist's effort; a work of art must pass through several generations and be appreciated before it can be considered complete. Bonsai is the best example of this.