The way of mother's bonsai in the eyes of son

"Life is not only in the present, but also in poetry and distant fields. You came to the world with your bare hands, desperate to find the sea. "

-- Gao Xiaosong

Picture and text / Chen Xi

"there is no ink painting in Cangshan and no string Wanguqin in Erhai Lake." Cangshan, named for its verdant mountains, is the main peak at the southern end of the Yunling Mountains, consisting of nineteen peaks from north to south. The peak is covered with snow all the year round, magnificent and famous for "snow, clouds, springs and stones". It is one of the four scenes of "romantic flowers and snow moon" in Dali.

The Diancang Garden, located at the foot of Cangshan, is close to the mountain and far away from the water, and the ink permeates with each other, giving us a kind of implicit and introverted, quiet and deep beauty. When I was in the garden, I felt an impetuous heart and instantly settled down. Although the Diancang Garden covers an area of only 120 square meters, more than 200 pots of rhododendron, boxwood, fragrance, raven, papaya, alpine cypress, black sandalwood, and old crow persimmons of different shapes and sizes show the persistent pursuit of their owners for more than 20 years. The owner of this "Diancang Garden" is my mother, Ms. Ma Yanhua of Dali University.

Ms. Ma Yanhua (first from right) exchanged creative ideas with Mr. Wang, a master of Chinese bonsai art, at the "Bonsai Culture and Art Exhibition" celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (Photography: Yunzi).

In late spring, the bonsai in the garden is full of vitality, of which the longest bonsai has been for nearly 20 years. It can be said that they have accompanied and witnessed my growth. My love and dedication to bonsai is mainly influenced by my mother. My mother's persistence and persistence in bonsai inspired me deeply and was my enlightening teacher on bonsai road.

Mother, who works in Dali University and is now retired, is the executive director of the Fifth Council of Yunnan Bonsai Stone appreciation Association and the vice president of Dali Bonsai Association. Friends in Dali and bonsai circles affectionately call her teacher Ma. Mother is obsessed with bonsai art and takes care of her beloved bonsai in the garden whenever she has time. Especially when I went out to study in Nanjing, weeding, fertilization, medication, pruning and plastic surgery were all done by my mother herself. Mother is enthusiastic about bonsai activities. Whenever there are activities, especially bonsai activities in Dali area, mother always runs before and after running, leaving early and coming back late. My retired mother is busier than she is at work.

Ms. Ma Yanhua (first from right) carefully checked the exhibits at the bonsai exhibition of the 26th China (Dali) Orchid Expo in 2016 (Photography: Yunzi)

In Yunnan and even the national bonsai world, female bonsai people are very rare, and people who are familiar with them are rare. Play with bonsai all day long to deal with trees and soil, watering, fertilizing, changing pots, pruning, pest control, weeding and a series of complex work, wind and sun, many of which are manual work. The most important thing is that bonsai is not an overnight thing, it requires perseverance and state of mind, many male friends can not stick to it, not to mention female bonsai people. Therefore, every female bonsai person deserves our respect.

There are many factors why my mother can always walk on the road of bonsai. In terms of the overall environment, it is the prosperity of the country. The rapid development of Yunnan bonsai in recent years has created a good environment for the development of bonsai. From a family point of view, although my father and I are devoted to support, but the most important thing is my mother's heartfelt love and persistence, as well as persistent pursuit.

Ms. Ma Yanhua (first from right) exchanged creative experiences with Mr. Lu Zhiwei, a master of Chinese bonsai art, at the 2015 "China Kunming (World Expo Cup) Chinese Bonsai Fine works invitation Exhibition". The one on the right is Mr. Chen Xiaojun, Mr. Ma's lover (Photo: Yunzi)

In the sixth grade of primary school, my mother took me to work on bonsai. At that time, my mother and I didn't know much about bonsai, and the only way to know it was through the few bonsai books. I still remember that at that time, every weekend, my mother would take me to the flower-and-bird market in Dali to buy tree stumps from winter to summer. Even if you don't buy a stump, you should go to the flower-and-bird market or other friends who raise bonsai to have a look and exchange experience.

The flower-and-bird market in Dali has been moved three times, and the price of tree stumps has gradually risen from a few yuan to hundreds or thousands of yuan, but my mother's habit of taking me to buy stakes and watch stakes on weekends has not changed. A lot of bonsai materials in the family are accumulated during that period.

The cuckoo beside my mother was bought by me in the second year of junior high school. It has been 16 years old now. Wherever she is, my mother will stop for a long time whenever she sees beautiful bonsai or ancient trees in nature, which shows her obsession with bonsai.

I still remember that the first bonsai raised at home was a cuckoo. At that time, due to lack of experience and skills, she died after only a few years, which was a heavy blow to her mother. But my mother did not give up because of this, but worked with me to find the reasons, from light, water, fertilizer to cuckoo varieties, to explore one by one and accumulate experience. Then I had the second cuckoo, the third and the fourth. Until the cuckoo is handy. Before I was a junior, my family always lived in a flat building, and the place where I could raise bonsai was only a balcony of 4 or 5 square meters. The balcony can not fit, put it in the living room, and then to the open space downstairs, and finally had to foster in a friend's yard.

Ms. Ma Yanhua (first from right) and Chen Xi, Deputy Secretary General of Dali Bonsai Association, performed on the same stage at the bonsai exhibition of the 26th China (Dali) Orchid Expo in 2016 (Photography: Yunzi)

Later, when the conditions were good, there was a small yard, but it was soon full of bonsai. There are more bonsai, and the workload has increased exponentially. At first, it only took about 5 minutes for all bonsai to be watered, but now it takes 2 or 3 hours. This is a lot of physical work for the aging mother, but the mother never stops. The variety of bonsai at home is also becoming more and more abundant, from rhododendron to yellow poplar and poplar, to fragrant wood, pine and cypress. Today, this small "Diancang Garden" is a favorite place for bonsai lovers around Dali. Everyone gets together from time to time to taste tea, talk about experience, and discuss bonsai conservation and creative skills.

Populus tomentosa 2011 tree phase

With a long bonsai road, my mother has been persistently moving forward in her exploration. Every bonsai in the family, no matter how big or small, the mother has the same heart. Boxwood is recognized as a slow-growing and difficult-to-shape variety in bonsai industry. The earliest batch of boxwood in the family was just a bare pile when it first arrived, with no branches and buds, and its root system was very poor. Each branch started with a small bud (see above, boxwood 2011 tree phase), and now it has gradually felt green (see picture below, boxwood tree phase 2018). My mother often said that trees are also spiritual. if you are kind to them, they will flourish and grow into the shape you want one day. My mother's persistence also let me see what the bonsai will look like in the future.

Populus tomentosa in 2018

When I was a child, my mother took me to work on bonsai, but now my mother and I walk side by side on bonsai road, communicate with each other, and discuss the conservation experience and modeling techniques of bonsai, as well as the new trends and perspectives of bonsai.

The above is my mother's way of bonsai in my eyes. I hope more female bonsai lovers will integrate into the bonsai world. I wish Yunnan bonsai better and better, and Chinese bonsai will prosper with each passing day.