The history of Yangpai bonsai

When it comes to the word bonsai, I believe many people will see a lot of green and exquisite things in front of their eyes, and there seems to be a curl of smoke, accompanied by the sound of the piano, and the sense of simplicity and elegance is beyond expression. Bonsai has a long history in China, and after hundreds of years of development, it has gradually formed five major sects, namely, Shanghai School, Lingnan School, Sichuan School, Su School and Yang School. Today we will talk about the historical changes and characteristics of Yangpai bonsai.

Yangpai bonsai is named after the city of Yangzhou, which naturally takes Yangzhou as the center and spreads to the surrounding cities. The development history of Yangpai bonsai basically coincides with the whole development history of Chinese bonsai. Yangpai bonsai has been popular among the people since the Tang Dynasty, and it was mostly enjoyed by some rich families at that time. In the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo, the great writer, had a simple description in the quotation of one of his poems, which is the earliest description of the Yangpai bonsai, which shows that the Yangpai bonsai in the Song Dynasty is still more famous, otherwise it can not be seen in Su Dongpo's eyes.

Zhang Zhihan of the Yuan Dynasty once described the plum pile bonsai in one of his poems, which is one of the ancestors of Yangpai bonsai. Generally speaking, the Yangpai bonsai in the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties had not been fully developed, but it was very different in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the Qing Dynasty. Yangpai Bonsai began its road of vigorous development. During the Ming Dynasty, Yang School bonsai began to have its own characteristics and gradually formed its own family.

In the Qing Dynasty, the literati in Yangzhou splashed ink and wrote poems and paintings for Yang to show their love for this kind of bonsai. With this form of advertising, Yangpai bonsai began to become famous all over the world. At the same time, they also walked out of the homes of senior officials and aristocrats and into ordinary families, which also promoted the development of Yangpai bonsai. From the late Qing Dynasty to the liberation, the development of Yangpai bonsai stagnated because of the death of the war. It was not until after the founding of New China that the dignified and elegant beauty of Yangpai bonsai returned to the world and re-bloomed the beauty that should have belonged to it.

Influenced by the political, economic, cultural, geographical and climatic environment of Yangzhou, Yang School bonsai has formed the characteristics of both the north and the south, that is, it has not only the vastness of the north, but also the gentle beauty of the south. The most representative features are "cloud film" and "70% discount per bend". "Cloud sheet" refers to the thin and flat branches of each branch of the bonsai with palm thread, which depends on the skill of the craftsman. The "70% discount per bend" says that palm silk should be tied into three curved shapes on each inch of branch. only in this way can the branch be straight. With these two characteristics, Yangpai bonsai has its own unique beauty and charm.