Penjing: The Chinese Art of Bonsai

Author: Zhao Qingquan
Publisher: Shanghai Press
ISBN: 9781602200098
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
With hundreds of color photographs and illustrations, this Chinese gardening book is a wonderful introduction to penjing—China's treasured bonsai art. Although most people thing bonsai is a Japanese invention, the art originated in ancient China where it is called penjing. The two Chinese characters for penjing ("pot" and "landscape") capture the essence of this art: sculpting microcosms of the beauty of the natural world from plants, rocks, soil, and water, both as an artistic process and as horticultural cultivation. Both penjing and bonsai are art forms that express the beauty of nature. In China, bonsai, as a part of penjing, is often called "tree penjing," or "tree in a pot." The Chinese divide penjing into three categories: tree penjing, rock penjing, and water-and-land penjing. This Chinese gardening book showcases the Chinese art of penjing in all its aspects for the benefit of penjing aficionados and all other readers interested in Chinese culture. It covers the concept, history, categories, aesthetic features, techniques, display, appreciation, and preservation of penjing. It is a feast for the eyes while providing a wealth of information for the academically inclined as well as the practically minded. There are more than 300 lavish illustrations grouped into three different categories of penjing. The reader will not only be awed by the beautiful compositions of penjing, but will also learn about the Chinese approach to nature and to life.

Art of Bonsai

Author: Yuji Yoshimura
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462907121
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Book Description
Learn the ins and outs of proper bonsai design and care with this comprehensive Japanese gardening book. Japanese bonsai have long been admired throughout the world while their care and preservation have seemed shrouded in mystery. The Art of Bonsai is, however, a comparatively simple art to learn. Anyone with a love a plants, a little patience and this eminently practical book can create bonsai and keep a finished plant healthy and vigorous for generations. Included in this definitive volume are: Detailed, illustrated instructions on propagation and training Hints for those growing bonsai in a hurry and apartment dwellers Daily and seasonal bonsai care practices Dealing with pests and bonsai troubleshooting How to judge, select and exhibit bonsai Detailed appendices on tools, equipment, soil analyses Data on more than 300 species of plants used in making bonsai This classic work remains an eminently practical book and is the classic guide to bonsai care. It contains the essentials of an art that is one of Japan's most treasured traditions--sculpting beauty in living wood.

Bonsai and Penjing

Author: Ann McClellan
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462918743
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 137

Book Description
This book tells the awe-inspiring stories of bonsai and penjing trees in the collection of the National Arboretum in Washington D.C. It details their valuable role in international diplomacy and as instruments of American presidential influence. It also describes their inclusion in world's fair exhibitions, in Asian-inspired gardens around the country, and as a window onto the extensive cultivation of bonsai in North America today. An extensive first-hand account by Dr. John L. Creech is included about the first extraordinary gift of 53 bonsai from Japan to the U.S. in 1976 which prompted the founding of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Beauty and Peace describes how Chinese penjing and North American bonsai were later added to the Museum, making its collection the most comprehensive in the world. Stories of individual trees and forest plantings are featured, as are the roles played by the skilled and talented creators of these living art forms--people such as John Naka, Saburo Kato, Yuji Yoshimura, Harry Hirao, and Dr. Yee-Sun Wu. Armchair travelers can experience what a visit to the Museum is like, including the discovery of its remarkable viewing stones. Bonsai & Penjing, Ambassadors of Beauty and Peace will delight anyone intrigued by these living works of art and curious about the stories they bring to life.

Bonsai

Author: Peter Chan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 162914262X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
For everyone from beginners to masters, the one essential book to growing, grooming, and caring for your bonsai tree. Bonsai is the ancient craft of carefully regulating the growth and shape of trees in order to produce miniature versions of mature trees. Dating back over one thousand years to ancient Japan, bonsai trees are some of the most beautiful and meticulously looked-after plants in the world, and in recent years bonsai have exploded in popularity in the Western world. Bonsai, written by world-renowned bonsai expert Peter Chan, is the essential compendium for anyone interested in trying out bonsai for the first time or adding more bonsai to their existing collections, detailing everything you need to know about buying and maintaining a magnificent bonsai tree, including: How to pick the right bonsai for you Tools and supplies to ensure your bonsai prospers How to shape your bonsai into different styles How different pots affect the growth of your bonsai And much more! With hundreds of color photographs and easy-to-read directions and explanations on a variety of subjects, Bonsai is the only book you’ll ever need to successfully start and maintain your own beautiful bonsai tree collection.

The Collections of Chinese Award-Winning Bonsai

Author: Su Benyi
Publisher: Strategic Book Publishing
ISBN: 9781622124893
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The Collections of Chinese Award-Winning Bonsai depicts this beautiful Chinese traditional fine art in stunning form. This is the country's first book dedicated to the outstanding works of bonsai. Bonsai is created in a pot with plants, rocks, soil, water and other materials. Through creativity and horticulture, these miniature plants can be shaped into beautiful little sceneries of nature. This lovely book showcases the award-winning bonsai (including first prize, grand prize and special award) from China's nationwide bonsai exhibition and bonsai expo's more than 200 outstanding works that were appraised by experts. The book describes the beauty of each winning bonsai and provides detailed information, such as height, type of bonsai and information on the artist. Su Ben is from Tianjin, China. He started the monthly magazine China's Flower Bonsai and was the director as well as chief editor. In 1988, he founded the Chinese Bonsai Artists Association. He served as executive chairman at the First China Bonsai Conference held in 1991 in Beijing. In 1992, he served as the Executive Chairman at the China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Bonsai Symposium and at the International Chinese Bonsai Competition held in Nanjing. Zhong Jinan was born in Shanghai and has multiple interests since childhood. He likes tending flowers and plants, but loves literary, calligraphy and painting even more. In his spare time, he is obsessed with the art of bonsai. He has written many articles about the maintenance, making and appreciation of bonsai. Publisher's website: www.ChinaPODG.com/SuBenYiandZhongJinan

Bonsai - Penjing

Author: Danielle Ouellet
Publisher:
ISBN: 9782980121852
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
"The ultimate truth, for anyone who takes the time to contemplate one of these works of art, is one's personal emotional response, something experienced by every member of the production team for this book. Now it's your turn!" -- Danielle Ouellet The Montr?al Botanical Garden's collections of bonsai and penjing are among the best in North America, including more than 350 trees, some dating from the 17th century. For the first time, these stylized horticultural creations have been brought together in a single volume, illuminating the evolution of the aesthetic tradition of this Asian artform. Featuring beautifully rendered photographs of many of the miniature trees in the collection, Bonsai - Penjing: The Collections of the Montr?al Botanical Garden offers an up-close view of these extraordinary specimens. Miniaturized reflections of their natural environment, these works of horticultural art translate the world views of bonsai and penjing masters from different philosophical traditions. In a few instances, they integrate contemporary North American vision of the ancient Asian traditions. Author Danielle Ouellet interviewed many of the artists who created these works, in some instances travelling to Asia to meet with some of world's contemporary masters of the art form. As a result, she brings alive an historical portrait of the art form, its underlying aesthetic principles, and an understanding of how to view and interpret the captivating living culptures of the Bonsai and Penjing traditions.

Fine Bonsai

Author:
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0789211122
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In this luxurious cloth bound hardcover with glossy slipcase, renowned botanical photographer Jonathan Singer presents his breathtaking images of the world's most notable bonsai. In Fine Bonsai: Art & Nature, the finest extant achievements in the art of bonsai are seen together for the first time, through the lens of renowned botanical photographer Jonathan Singer. This magnificent volume is the result of an extensive photographic campaign, in the course of which Singer was granted unprecedented access to the most respected public and private collections in Japan and the United States, including the mecca of bonsai, the Omiya Bonsai Village of Saitama, Japan, where photography is normally prohibited. Three hundred stunning full-page images and four lavish gatefolds present bonsai of all types, from quiet representations of nature to bold sculptural forms. The horticultural and aesthetic characteristics of each bonsai are concisely and authoritatively described in the narrative captions by William Valavanis, head of the International Bonsai Arboretum in Rochester, New York. And because the container is considered an integral part of any bonsai—indeed, the literal meaning of “bonsai” is “tray plant”—the book also includes some twenty-five photographs of traditional bonsai containers, with descriptions. A further sequence of twenty-five photographs is devoted to the related art of suiseki, or miniature stone landscapes displayed in the same manner, and often alongside, bonsai. With his groundbreaking first book, Botanica Magnifica, Jonathan Singer established a new style of botanical photography, characterized by an exceptional clarity of detail and richness of color, as well as a painterly chiaroscuro. These qualities are just as evident in the present volume; Singer photographs each bonsai with an artist’s—one might even say a portraitist’s—eye. Whereas most books on bonsai aim to instruct readers on techniques of care and cultivation, Singer’s book takes the reader on a visual journey. His images encompass many different species, from azalea to red maple, as well as a variety of blossoms and fruits. Alluring and serene, Singer's photographs make the experience of leafing through Bonsai not unlike entering a real Japanese garden. Fine Bonsai: Art & Nature not only documents the masterpieces of an ancient horticultural art, but is a masterpiece in itself. A portion of the proceeds of this book will benefit the Japanese Red Cross.

Classic Bonsai of Japan

Author:
Publisher: Kodansha International
ISBN: 4770029926
Category : Bonsai
Languages : en
Pages : 198

Book Description
This title introduces a collection of the finest bonsai pieces to be found in Japan today. Over 180 plates of priceless specimens with informative commentary provide a definitive tour of the bonsai world. The notes for each piece offer insights into the balance, style, harmony and aesthetic as well as history of the bonsai. The Nippon Bonsai Association, Japan's pre-eminent voice of the bonsai tradition, introduces a collection of the finest bonsai pieces to be found in Japan today - some of them presented to a Western audience for the first time. Over 130 full-colour and 71

Bonsai

Author: Peter Chan
Publisher: Thunder Bay Press
ISBN: 9781571455949
Category : Bonsai
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The art of Bonsai originated in China over 1,000 years ago and has been pursued and developed ever since. Bonsai specimens are ordinary trees and shrubs, crafted by a system of pruning roots and branches and training branches by tying with wire. A single bonsai may only be a foot tall, but looks identical to a full-grown tree. This book is essential to anyone wishing to pursue the ancient art, with invaluable advice to ensure the trees are kept alive and healthy. Bonsai outlines the constant and proper care that will allow the bonsai to blend with its container in a natural and aesthetically pleasing manner. Everything from watering to wiring, placement to pruning, and specialist advice on individual species such as maples and pines is fully explained. Learn about this special oriental art from an acknowledged expert and discover just what makes it such a rewarding hobby.

In Training

Author: Stephen Voss
Publisher: Stephen Voss Photography
ISBN: 9780692585160
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
A photography book of bonsai trees. Photographs were taken at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington, DC.