A brief introduction to the Chinese Bonsai School-- Shanghai School

Shanghai City is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. The whole territory is alluvial plain. Only in the southwest are volcanic mounds such as Yushan Mountain. The suburbs are densely covered with river ports. Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou River) flow through the city and are the main drainage channels and shipping arteries of Taihu Lake. Tang Dynasty belongs to Huating County, Song Dynasty began to set up Shanghai Town, Yuan Dynasty to Yuan 29 years (AD 1292) set up Shanghai County. After the Opium War, the Qing government was forced by the imperialist invaders to develop as a commercial port. Shanghai Special City was established in 1928. In 1930, it was changed to Shanghai City, which rapidly developed into the largest industrial city in China. Foreign trade, commerce and finance were once in the leading position in Asia, known as the "Oriental Pearl."

Shanghai bonsai art has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli years of Ming Dynasty (AD 1567~1620), the potted plants in Jiading area of Shanghai had reached a higher level at that time. In Ming Dynasty Wang Mingshao's "Jiading Three Artists Biography," Lu Tingcan's "Nancun Essay," Qing Dynasty Cheng Tingwu's "Lianshui Painting Zheng Lu" and other works, there are descriptions of bonsai.

Because of Shanghai's special geographical position and important position in domestic and foreign trade, Shanghai School culture, which is brave in innovation and creation and good at absorbing new things, has gradually formed. This culture has a very prominent expression in Peking Opera art and has become a major school of Peking Opera art. Under the influence of this culture, Shanghai Bonsai has extensively absorbed the advantages of various major schools in China, and at the same time, it has also borrowed the modeling techniques of Japanese and overseas bonsai, and established the Shanghai style bonsai painted by imitating nature and ancient people. In 1965, Zhou Baizhen, a bonsai expert, put forward the idea that "we must learn from nature, oppose artificial and rigid distortion, and go to the green, and deliberately seek innovation on the basis of learning traditional bonsai styles from all over the world". In 1978, Shanghai Botanical Garden established the Bonsai Research Institute, which was unprecedentedly active in creative activities. In 1982, the paper "Shanghai Bonsai Style Research" was published publicly, and Shanghai Bonsai was further recognized and familiar by domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go to the world, winning prizes in international bonsai evaluation activities for many times.

Shanghai style bonsai is not limited by any formula, but it emphasizes theme, hierarchy and variability in layout. In the process of making, it strives to embody the wild taste of mountain forest, attach importance to the shape of ancient trees in nature and the personality of tree species, make the best use of the situation, color according to the category, and strive to make it both divine and shape according to the theoretical requirements of traditional Chinese painting. Although it is the same as all northern schools, it pays attention to the shape of technical films, but not only are there many technical films, there are no fixed specifications, but also they vary in size, shape, density, and freedom. Prosperity is the primary goal. Therefore, in the technique of another way, tie shear equal emphasis, do not use brown silk and use metal wire winding branches for bending shape, and then fine trim fine shear, in order to maintain a beautiful shape: rigid and soft, smooth and natural.

Haipai bonsai is rich in tree species, deciduous, evergreen, flowers and fruits, now there are more than 140 species, including evergreen pine, cypress and beautiful flowers and fruits. In recent years, some tree species have been introduced from abroad (such as Japan, Portugal, etc.) to make Haipai stump bonsai more colorful.

There are no mountains in Shanghai, but there is a great development of landscape bonsai and remarkable achievements have been made. In the past, Shanghai landscape bonsai, generally hard stone as a stone appreciation, even if the soft stone absorption, but also placed in a deep basin, only its peak posture, and lack of poetic. Since the 1960s, Dong Shuyu, Yin Zimin and other masters of bonsai art have taken bold innovations in landscape bonsai, absorbing the advantages of other schools of landscape bonsai, and taking the lead in adopting shallow water basins, so that they can not only view the mountainside, but also appreciate the tortuous foot of the mountain (river bank) and the sparkling water surface.

Now there are two types of Haipai landscape bonsai: one is to use hard rocks to show close-up, the basin is steep, the trees are green cage; the other is to use soft stones such as sea mother stone and pumice stone to carefully carve out the mountain grain stone texture and plant small trees (grass) to show the level and profound artistic conception. However, these two types of landscape bonsai, in terms of their overall style, are relatively vast,"lonely sail far shadow blue sky, only see the Yangtze River sky flow", no doubt the regional environment in the bonsai artist's soul engraved imprint, reflecting the alluvial plain regional characteristics.

Chinese Bonsai Genre--Shanghai Bonsai

Shanghai City is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. The whole territory is alluvial plain. Only in the southwest are volcanic mounds such as Yushan Mountain. The suburbs are densely covered with river ports. Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou River) flow through the city and are the main drainage channels and shipping arteries of Taihu Lake. Tang Dynasty belongs to Huating County, Song Dynasty began to set up Shanghai Town, Yuan Dynasty to Yuan 29 years (AD 1292) set up Shanghai County. After the Opium War, the Qing government was forced by the imperialist invaders to develop as a commercial port. Shanghai Special City was established in 1928. In 1930, it was changed to Shanghai City, which rapidly developed into the largest industrial city in China. Foreign trade, commerce and finance were once in the leading position in Asia, known as the "Oriental Pearl." Shanghai bonsai art has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli years of Ming Dynasty (AD 1567~1620), the potted plants in Jiading area of Shanghai had reached a higher level at that time. In Ming Dynasty Wang Mingshao's "Jiading Three Artists Biography," Lu Tingcan's "Nancun Essay," Qing Dynasty Cheng Tingwu's "Lianshui Painting Zheng Lu" and other works, there are descriptions of bonsai. Because of Shanghai's special geographical position and important position in domestic and foreign trade, Shanghai School culture, which is brave in innovation and creation and good at absorbing new things, has gradually formed. This culture has a very prominent expression in Peking Opera art and has become a major school of Peking Opera art. Under the influence of this culture, Shanghai Bonsai has extensively absorbed the advantages of various major schools in China, and at the same time, it has also borrowed the modeling techniques of Japanese and overseas bonsai, and established the Shanghai style bonsai painted by imitating nature and ancient people. In 1965, Zhou Baizhen, a bonsai expert, put forward the idea that "we must learn from nature, oppose artificial and rigid distortion, and go to the green, and deliberately seek innovation on the basis of learning traditional bonsai styles from all over the world". In 1978, Shanghai Botanical Garden established the Bonsai Research Institute, which was unprecedentedly active in creative activities. In 1982, the paper "Shanghai Bonsai Style Research" was published publicly, and Shanghai Bonsai was further recognized and familiar by domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go to the world, winning prizes in international bonsai evaluation activities for many times. Shanghai style bonsai is not limited by any formula, but it emphasizes theme, hierarchy and variability in layout. In the process of making, it strives to embody the wild taste of mountain forest, attach importance to the shape of ancient trees in nature and the personality of tree species, make the best use of the situation, color according to the category, and strive to make it both divine and shape according to the theoretical requirements of traditional Chinese painting. Although it is the same as all northern schools, it pays attention to the shape of technical films, but not only are there many technical films, there are no fixed specifications, but also they vary in size, shape, density, and freedom. Prosperity is the primary goal. Therefore, in the technique of another way, tie shear equal emphasis, do not use brown silk and use metal wire winding branches for bending shape, and then fine trim fine shear, in order to maintain a beautiful shape: rigid and soft, smooth and natural. Shanghai style bonsai is rich in tree species, deciduous, evergreen, flowers and fruits of all kinds, now has reached more than 140 species, of which evergreen pine, cypress and beautiful flowers and fruits are the main species, in recent years from abroad (such as Japan, Portugal, etc.) introduced some tree species, so that Shanghai style stump bonsai more colorful There are no mountains in Shanghai, but the landscape bonsai has a greater development, has made remarkable achievements. In the past, Shanghai landscape bonsai, generally hard stone as a stone appreciation, even if the soft stone absorption, but also placed in a deep basin, only its peak posture, and lack of poetic. Since the 1960s, Dong Shuyu, Yin Zimin and other masters of bonsai art have taken bold innovations in landscape bonsai, absorbing the advantages of other schools of landscape bonsai, and taking the lead in adopting shallow water basins, so that they can not only view the mountainside, but also appreciate the tortuous foot of the mountain (river bank) and the sparkling water surface.

Shanghai City is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. The whole territory is alluvial plain. Only in the southwest are volcanic mounds such as Yushan Mountain. The suburbs are densely covered with rivers and harbors. Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou River) flow through the city and are the main drainage channels and shipping arteries of Taihu Lake. Tang Dynasty belongs to Huating County, Song Dynasty began to set up Shanghai Town, Yuan Dynasty to Yuan 29 years (AD 1292) set up Shanghai County. After the Opium War, the Qing government was forced by the imperialist invaders to develop as a commercial port. Shanghai Special City was established in 1928. In 1930, it was changed to Shanghai City, which rapidly developed into the largest industrial city in China. Foreign trade, commerce and finance were once in the leading position in Asia, known as the "Oriental Pearl."

Shanghai bonsai art has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli years of Ming Dynasty (AD 1567~1620), the potted plants in Jiading area of Shanghai had reached a higher level at that time. In Ming Dynasty Wang Mingshao's "Jiading Three Artists Biography," Lu Tingcan's "Nancun Essay," Qing Dynasty Cheng Tingwu's "Lianshui Painting Zheng Lu" and other works, there are descriptions of bonsai.

Because of Shanghai's special geographical position and important position in domestic and foreign trade, Shanghai School culture, which is brave in innovation and creation and good at absorbing new things, has gradually formed. This culture has a very prominent expression in Peking Opera art and has become a major school of Peking Opera art. Under the influence of this culture, Shanghai Bonsai has extensively absorbed the advantages of various major schools in China, and at the same time, it has also borrowed the modeling techniques of Japanese and overseas bonsai, and established the Shanghai style bonsai painted by imitating nature and ancient people. In 1965, Zhou Baizhen, a bonsai expert, put forward the idea that "we must learn from nature, oppose artificial and rigid distortion, and go to the green, and deliberately seek innovation on the basis of learning traditional bonsai styles from all over the world". In 1978, Shanghai Botanical Garden established the Bonsai Research Institute, which was unprecedentedly active in creative activities. In 1982, the paper "Shanghai Bonsai Style Research" was published publicly, and Shanghai Bonsai was further recognized and familiar by domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go to the world, winning prizes in international bonsai evaluation activities for many times.

Shanghai style bonsai is not limited by any formula, but it emphasizes theme, hierarchy and variability in layout. In the process of making, it strives to embody the wild taste of mountain forest, attach importance to the shape of ancient trees in nature and the personality of tree species, make the best use of the situation, color according to the category, and strive to make it both divine and shape according to the theoretical requirements of traditional Chinese painting. Although it is the same as all northern schools, it pays attention to the shape of technical films, but not only are there many technical films, there are no fixed specifications, but also they vary in size, shape, density, and freedom. Prosperity is the primary goal. Therefore, in the technique of another way, tie shear equal emphasis, do not use brown silk and use metal wire winding branches for bending shape, and then fine trim fine shear, in order to maintain a beautiful shape: rigid and soft, smooth and natural.

Haipai bonsai is rich in tree species, deciduous, evergreen, flowers and fruits, now there are more than 140 species, including evergreen pine, cypress and beautiful flowers and fruits. In recent years, some tree species have been introduced from abroad (such as Japan, Portugal, etc.) to make Haipai stump bonsai more colorful.

There are no mountains in Shanghai, but there is a great development of landscape bonsai and remarkable achievements have been made. In the past, Shanghai landscape bonsai, generally hard stone as a stone appreciation, even if the soft stone absorption, but also placed in a deep basin, only its peak posture, and lack of poetic. Since the 1960s, Dong Shuyu, Yin Zimin and other masters of bonsai art have taken bold innovations in landscape bonsai, absorbing the advantages of other schools of landscape bonsai, and taking the lead in adopting shallow water basins, so that they can not only view the mountainside, but also appreciate the tortuous foot of the mountain (river bank) and the sparkling water surface.

Now there are two types of Haipai landscape bonsai: one is to use hard rocks to show close-up, the basin of strange peaks steep, forest onion cage; the other is to use sea mother stone, pumice stone and other soft stones, carefully carved out of the mountain grain stone texture, planted with small trees (grass), in order to show the level, far-reaching artistic conception. However, these two types of landscape bonsai, in terms of their overall style, are relatively vast,"lone sail far shadow blue sky, only see the Yangtze River sky flow", no doubt the regional environment in the bonsai artist's soul engraved imprint, reflecting the alluvial plain regional characteristics.