Masters Huang Jiuwei, Lu Zhiquan and others exchange Lingnan miscellaneous-tree bonsai techniques with bonsai enthusiasts in Qiubei
▲Work "Awakening to Zen" by Zhou Wen
Yunnan pine | tree height 110cm
In midsummer at Puzhehei, vegetation is lush and summer flowers are gorgeous. Chinese bonsai art masters Huang Jiuwei, Lu Zhiquan and others were invited to Puzhehei, a scenic spot in southeastern Yunnan, to compare skills and renew friendship with friends from the Bonsai, Root Art and Viewing Stone Association of Qiubei County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
▲Master Huang Jiuwei exchanges Lingnan miscellaneous-tree bonsai techniques with bonsai enthusiasts in Qiubei using the local Qingxiangmu (Pistacia weinmannifolia)
As a boy, Master Huang Jiuwei formed a bond with bonsai over 4 mao and more than 40 years of connection, and he has never interrupted his love for and creation of bonsai. His innovative "spiral-style crown formation" method is still eagerly studied by peers at home and abroad. His work style is unrestrained, striving for novelty and change, with profound artistic conception. He has participated many times in exhibitions and competitions at home and abroad and won important awards. He participated in compiling bonsai books such as "East Asian Bonsai", "Appreciation of Fine Bonsai", and "Scenery Beyond Scenery, Image Beyond Image" and served as deputy editor-in-chief. Over the past 20 years, in order to promote the Chinese bonsai cause, he has visited more than a dozen countries to give bonsai lectures, and three of his works have been collected by the Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Museum in Seattle, USA, three by the Crespi Bonsai Museum in Italy, and one by the Mistral Bonsai Museum in Spain.
▲Work "Originally from the Same Root" by Huang Jiuwei
Banyan | pot length 170cm
Won the Grand Prize at the '99 Kunming World Horticultural Expo
In 1989, he founded a large-scale bonsai export base of nearly 1,000 mu with an annual output of 3 million pots. He was among the first practitioners to push Lingnan bonsai to the world after reform and opening up, and is one of the representative figures of the new generation of Lingnan bonsai. He currently serves as secretary-general of the China Regional Committee of the International Bonsai Association (BCI), international consultant of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation (WBFF), executive vice chairman of the Flowers, Bonsai and Viewing Stone Branch of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture, deputy director of the Viewing Stone and Bonsai Professional Committee of the Guangdong Society of Landscape Architecture, and president of the Guangzhou Bonsai Association.
▲Work "Sparse Grove, Rustic Charm Bathed in Spring Breeze" by Huang Jiuwei | Chinese sweet plum | pot length 120cm
▲Master Lu Zhiquan exchanges pine bonsai techniques with bonsai enthusiasts in Qiubei
Master Lu Zhiquan was born into a Lingnan bonsai family, with several generations of ancestors engaged in horticulture and the flower and bonsai business. Since childhood, he studied under his father, Master Lu Xueming, and has been engaged in Lingnan bonsai creation for more than 40 years, accumulating very rich experience and creating many fine works. He has particularly original views on the creation of forest-style and cliff-style bonsai
▲Work by Lu Zhiquan
The Fujian tea bonsai "Emerald Hanging from the Cliff" created by Master Lu won the second prize at the 2nd China Bonsai Evaluation Exhibition, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Charm of the Cold Grove" won the highest award at the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan Bonsai Art Expo, the Award of Excellence, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Spring Grove, Sparrows Leaping" won the silver award at the 5th China Bonsai Evaluation Exhibition, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Charm of Autumn" won the silver award at the 4th China International Garden and Flower Expo, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Lingnan Spring Colors" won the silver award at the 6th China Bonsai Exhibition, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Rustic Charm in the Suburbs" won the silver award at the 2006 China (Chencun) International Bonsai and Viewing Stone Expo, the Chinese hackberry bonsai "Rustic Charm in the Suburbs" won the silver award at the 2006 Shenyang World Horticultural Expo Bonsai Art Exhibition, and the orange jasmine bonsai "Ancient Lingnan Charm" won the silver award at the 7th China Bonsai Exhibition, receiving widespread praise from the industry. He often participates in bonsai art exchanges at home and abroad, teaches experience, and has repeatedly served as a judge for major bonsai exhibitions. He currently serves as vice chairman of the China Regional Committee of the International Bonsai Association, executive director of the Flowers, Bonsai and Viewing Stone Branch of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture, and executive vice president of the Guangzhou Bonsai Association.
▲Work by Lu Zhiquan
The Bonsai, Root Art and Viewing Stone Association of Qiubei County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province was established on December 12, 2014, and the famous bonsai artist Zhou Wen was elected as its first president. On July 12, 2016, the association established a Party branch, with Mu Hong serving as branch secretary. The association is affiliated with the county forestry bureau and currently has more than 100 members, including 13 Party members.
▲Master Huang Jiuwei (left) and Master Lu Zhiquan (middle) use the cotoneaster bonsai of Zhou Wen (right), president of the Qiubei Bonsai Association, as an example for an on-site demonstration.
▲Leaders of the Guangzhou Bonsai Association and the Qiubei Bonsai Association enjoy fragrant tea and hold in-depth talks in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Guangzhou Bonsai Association president Huang Jiuwei (left 1), executive vice president Lu Zhiquan (left 2), vice president Wang Cheng (left 4), and senior Lingnan bonsai enthusiast Liu Yong (left 3) hold in-depth exchanges with Qiubei Bonsai Association president Zhou Wen (right 1), Yunnan bonsai artist Yang Hansen (middle) and others.
In recent years, under the guidance of the development concept of "inviting in and going out", the Bonsai, Root Art and Viewing Stone Association of Qiubei County has successively invited Chinese bonsai art master Wang Xuanmin, Yunnan provincial bonsai art master Yang Yunkun and other national and provincial-level bonsai masters to pass on techniques, and has organized members to attend and study at the 2015 International Bonsai Convention and Asia-Pacific Bonsai and Viewing Stone Convention, the 9th China Bonsai Exhibition, the 7th Yunnan Provincial Bonsai Art Exhibition and other international, national, provincial and municipal professional exhibitions.
▲The masters take a group photo with the members
During the three days of study and exchange, the members said they benefited greatly. They not only learned authentic Lingnan bonsai techniques, but also clarified many misconceptions. In particular, the targeted analyses made by the masters in combination with the local excellent native tree species Qingxiangmu (Pistacia weinmannifolia), cotoneaster, and Yunnan pine gave them greater confidence in developing native tree species and promoting the bonsai cause in Qiubei.