Appreciation of Huizhou-style artistic bonsai: masterpieces of craftsmanship with aged, vigorous strength and dignified elegance

Greeting Pine

[Rough wiring and rough pruning] The shaping method of Huizhou-style bonsai.

Rough wiring is the process of bending the main trunk and large branches of the plant being shaped with palm ropes, palm fibers, palm strips and metal wire to form a supple, curved posture;

Rough pruning is the trimming of some small branches, fine twigs and needles according to the compositional plan, to promote the sprouting of axillary buds, latent buds and adventitious buds

so that on the branches extending into the three-dimensional space around the main trunk, slender branches and dense leaves grow, like thin clouds drifting with the wind, naturally and vividly expressive.

[Layering] The propagation method for Huizhou-style bonsai plant material

In early spring, tear open or twist and crack the middle-to-lower part of the selected bonsai plant branch, bury the wounded part in loess, leaving the tip above ground, and it will root easily.

The overall shape is like a dragon at play in water, elegant and beautiful

[Rapid results from wild stumps] The method for cultivating stump bonsai in Huizhou-style bonsai. To cultivate a stump bonsai with an aged and antique appearance takes at least a dozen years, or as many as several decades or over a hundred years.

Growers in Huangshan adopt the rapid method using wild stumps: after leaf fall in late autumn and early winter and before bud break in early spring, they go deep into ancient forests, dig up wild tree stumps, carry out preliminary pruning, and according to their conception determine the tree form

They wrap the trimmed stump tightly with moist green moss to avoid exposure to the sun and reduce the consumption of water and nutrients. The collected stumps brought down the mountain are planted promptly; when planting, the roots are first dipped in mud slurry, and after planting they are watered thoroughly once, with attention to shading and drought prevention. Several months after planting, a large number of buds and shoots emerge; the buds grow into branches and are allowed to grow freely, promoting the formation and elongation of new roots. At this stage, bud thinning and pruning are not advisable

Tenacious life

Soaring into the clouds

[Dragon style] A shaping form of Huizhou-style bonsai. The main trunk curves in a spiral or "S" shape, and the small branches extend alternately left and right from the raised parts of the curved trunk