A foreigner's bonsai story: my favorite Chinese bamboo bonsai (Chinese and English)

Because he liked Chinese bonsai, he chose to come to China; because he preferred Sichuan bonsai, he stayed in Sichuan. Learning bonsai, appreciating bonsai, making bonsai, a foreigner and Chinese bonsai are inextricably linked.

CHAD (Canadian) Translated by: Art

In the past few years every time I go to bonsai garden, I always like to appreciate bamboo bonsai, as soon as I have time to try to make my own.

Over the last few years going to the penjing gardens, I"ve always enjoyed seeing the bamboo penjing. So I thought I’d give it a try.

The bamboo leaves are bigger, so I added some short grass to the ground and placed an ancient man playing the zither. The potted plant is 23 centimeters long and 20 centimeters high. I am very happy with this combination of such a mood and effect.

This one above has larger leaves and I wanted to add some dwarf grass, but then I decided on the musician instead. It measures 23cms long and 20cms high. I’m happy with how it turned out!

This potted plant was also made not long ago. It is 19 centimeters long and 15 centimeters high. I don't know the name of this bamboo, but it looks like a "running" bamboo. The older thicker bamboo is connected to the younger bamboo behind the rock, and if it is not properly controlled, it will gradually spread and grow.

This one above is quite recent. It measures 19cms long and 15cms high. This bamboo whose name I’m unfamiliar with is a ‘running’ kind of bamboo. The older, thicker bamboo is connected to the younger bamboo behind the rock and will gradually spread out, if not controlled properly.

Of all my bonsai, I prefer to use mostly clay-based soil mixed with a small amount of garden soil. Clay can prolong moisture, especially during those sultry summer months. From spring to early fall, because it's too hot here, I water all the bonsai twice a day, and I give all the bonsai fertilizer every two weeks for the year.

With all my penjing, I prefer to use mostly clay based dirt and a small amount of garden dirt mixed in. The clay based dirt will hold water longer, especially for those sultry summer days. From mid Spring to early autumn, cause it’s so hot here, I will water all the penjing twice a day and with all my penjing, I will give them some fertilizer every two weeks throughout the year.

The top one is 21 centimeters long and 20 centimeters high. There was a hole in the rock, artificial or natural, and I didn't carve it, I just left it there, and I started making bonsai. My wife and I bought the stone while visiting the bonsai market. We stopped at the rock shop that day and spent most of the day choosing stones. This bonsai is a bit big, but it still fits on my big table, or I'll put it outside in the garden with the other bigger bonsai.

This one above measures 21cms long and 20cms high. There was a hole in the rock. I didn’t carve it, it was already there, either man made or natural and then I went onto making the penjing. The day I bought the rock, I was going out to the penjing market with my wife and stopped off at the rock store and there it was so I was carrying it around for most of the day. This one is a little big, but can still go on my big table, otherwise I’ll keep this outside with the bigger penjing.

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