An Introduction to the Characteristics of Lingnan Penjing: Style and Shaping Features

China has a vast territory, rich in land and resources. Because each region has a different geographical environment and greatly differing climates, the plants grown in each place have their own characteristics, the tree species vary, and the subjects and techniques of penjing creation are likewise not the same. Since the art of penjing is a reflection of the author's subjective thinking and emotions, the penjing created in each region naturally forms various schools and styles.

The Lingnan region is centred on Guangzhou and also takes in Hong Kong, China, Macao, China, Guangxi and Fujian. Located in the subtropics, with abundant rainfall all year round and a climate like spring throughout the four seasons, it is suitable for the growth of all kinds of plants. Its materials are mostly tree species with strong sprouting ability, such as orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata), Chinese plum yew (Sageretia thea), Fujian tea (Carmona retusa), Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) and creeping wedelia (Evolvulus alsinoides). This is why Lingnan penjing gave rise to the "trunk-cutting and branch-cultivating" technique. In addition, it is deeply influenced by the "both form and spirit" art of the "Lingnan School of Painting", and because Lingnan penjing is located in a special geographical position with many contacts with the outside world, it stands alone in style, constantly innovating and constantly being perfected.

The creation of Lingnan penjing stresses "coming from nature, yet surpassing nature". Taking the natural, simple and ancient forms of trees in the natural world as its teacher, it shapes works of art in a thousand postures and a hundred attitudes. Lingnan penjing further pursues "both form and spirit, conveying feeling and meaning": it demands that a work have not only the beauty of "formal likeness" but also a unique manner and artistic conception. For example, the old banyan type, with its gnarled and interlocking roots, its aged and craggy trunk, its branches coiling, extending and spreading, and its lush foliage in graceful abundance, makes one think of the long passage of time and the ease with which life grows old; the red kapok tree, with its drooping branches and strong trunk, majestic and towering, its spirit piercing the rainbow, gives one a feeling of proud ambition; the slanting tree form is light and graceful, elegant and free, full of movement, letting you rise above the commonplace and wash away all worries. Again, the twin-trunk tree, with its two trunks gazing at each other and its branches chasing one another in affection, is like love and feeling in the human world, laid completely bare; the cliff-hanging tree form, precipitous and steep, with hanging roots and exposed claws and a spirit of pressing bravely forward, inspires people to struggle with heaven and earth and to die rather than submit.

Penjing is an art with life, and no single shaping can ever be absolute; there should be variation and development. What is introduced below is the art of Lingnan penjing shaping, explored over a long period by several generations of the Lingnan school on the basis of drawing on the scenery of the natural world and following the principles of Chinese painting, and recognised within the trade. It is offered to everyone merely for reference!

1. Cliff-hanging type -- a gnarled dragon on a precipice. The shaping should give people a feeling of uprightness and unyieldingness, of a force striking the sky. Attention must be paid to "dramatic rise and fall with momentum", that is, from whatever angle in space, the trunk must be seen to bend and extend in different directions; the main trunk hangs downward, and the tree's head and roots grip tightly to the rim of the pot; the extension of the trunk must be smooth, narrowing segment by segment and with clear pauses and transitions in its bends, so as to have a strong sense of rhythm; the tail of the tree must be full of life, with branch supports in appropriate positions and reasonable proportions of size. The branch type mostly adopts chicken-claw branches, with occasional natural branches.

2. Water-reflection type -- admiring one's reflection and stirring feeling. The impression it gives is of a clear spring, a bay of lake water, or a small river with clear rippling waves, with a great tree firmly rooted on the bank, its crown lying across the water's surface, using the water as a mirror and pitying its own reflection. The shaping is mainly modelled on a great slanting tree lying by a riverbank: the roots always grow to one side and form a single flow with the tree's roots, and the roots floating above the mud "drag the sand and paste" to counterbalance the trunk. The crown should best have one large trailing branch, and the branch technique must be refined, trailing and swaying over the water and setting off the main trunk to mutual delight. The arrangement of branch supports should give a feeling of swaying in the wind. The branch types mostly adopt deer-horn branches, chicken-claw branches, trailing branches and natural branches.

3. Kapok type -- spirit piercing the clouds. A single kapok tree rises from the ground to the sky, proud and craggy, its branches gnarled, coiled and circling, with a force like a dragon rousing itself. If one applied the technique of shrinking a dragon to a single inch without any refinement, there would be little artistic conception; one must deliberately portray the kapok tree's craggy strength and towering, vigorous thickness. The kapok tree's trunk must be tall and straight, appearing straight within its bends, smooth and full of momentum; the tree's head must be large with many "buttress roots", gradually narrowing towards the tree's tail; the top of the tree should be flat; a single trunk or twin trunks are both acceptable. In branch technique, attention must be paid to proper yielding and contending, to mutual glances full of feeling, to appropriate length, and to smooth extension.

4. Single-trunk upright tree type -- soaring straight up. On wild mountains and open plains, one often sees a great tree standing upright in the wind, leaning on the mountain and beside the rocks. Though it is not as tall and craggy as the kapok, it is no less full of masculine spirit; this is the single-trunk upright tree. The shaping feature of the single-trunk tree is that it does not use "opposite-door branches"; the positions of the branch supports have no obvious rule, and the proportions of size should be basically appropriate, yet they need not be arranged in a complete sequence; moreover, one or two falling branches or weeping branches must be deliberately matched in, so that the shaping appears more lively and vivid. The branch types mostly use chicken-claw branches, parallel branches and weeping branches.

The Art of Branch Shaping in Lingnan Penjing Shaping Art

The Art of Branch Shaping in Lingnan Penjing Shaping Art

Lingnan School PenjingRefers to the penjing style of the area of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hong Kong, China. Its characteristics are that the penjing is natural and craggy, and it mostly adopts the "trunk-cutting and branch-cultivating" shaping method, which relies mainly on pruning, so that the branches flow smoothly and are free and bold, achieving an artistic effect of dispersal and density in tight order. In a penjing that has been cultivated to completion, any branch cut off at random can meet the standard for an independent penjing shape, and once the leaves are removed the form is even more graceful. Common materials for Lingnan penjing include: banyan, Chinese elm, Fujian tea, Chinese hackberry, orange jasmine, snow-in-summer (Serissa japonica), bougainvillea and Chinese plum yew.

Here I mainly introduce the branch-shaping types.
1. Deer-horn branch.
The main branch is relatively slender and long, with little difference between one node and the next. The angle formed by the main branch and the trunk, and the angle formed by the side branches and the main trunk, are both fairly small. The branches mostly point upward and are relatively smooth, resembling deer antlers. It is suitable for literati tree types, towering forms and slanting-trunk forms.

2. Chicken-claw branch.
The branches are relatively thick and strong; generally the first segment is shorter and does not put out side branches; only after the second segment do side branches emerge. Likewise, the side branches also extend horizontal claws after the second segment, and the horizontal claws can put out further branches, forming claw branches. After the leaves have fallen, the branch form seen is vigorous and gnarled, like a chicken's claw. Its branches rise and fall, are sparse and dense, and the size and length of each segment are reduced. The angle between the main branch and the trunk is fairly large, but smaller than a right angle. The direction of the side branches varies greatly, expressing liveliness and craggy strength. It is mostly used for large tree types and cliff-hanging forms.

3. Coiling branch.
The branches are supple and smooth, coiling and bending outward and extending only when there is enough space, at which point side branches are produced. The side branches then extend outward after slightly narrowing. Afterwards the ends of the side branches produce horizontal angles and are cultivated into leaf order. It is suitable for branch shaping in one-head-multiple-trunk tree types, with an effect of being abundant yet not chaotic.

The Branch Forms of Lingnan Penjing
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1. Trailing branch.
The shape of the branch is parallel but trailing slightly downward, with the main branch coiling and rising and falling, its bends smooth. It is commonly seen in graceful upright-trunk or slanting-trunk forms, and can strengthen the tree's sense of trailing movement.

2. Parallel branch.
The branch form is parallel to the bends of the main trunk, with little change in its upward and downward direction, and it forms a parallel arrangement with the secondary branches.

3. Falling branch.
The shape of the branch is that the main branch falls downward with bends and rises and falls, its rhythm smooth and distinct; it is more craggy than a weeping branch and can strengthen the tree's sense of precipitousness and movement. However, the position of the falling branch must be set appropriately, otherwise the effect will be affected.

4. Weeping branch.
The shape of the branch is that the main branch is slightly arc-shaped, hanging and swinging downward, with a vivid posture, softer than a falling branch. The main branch grows downward relatively slowly. It is commonly seen in towering upright-trunk forms.

5. Windmill branch.
The shape of the branch is that the main branch hangs down or tilts up at the front, twisting and extending towards the trunk, playing a decorative role in the empty areas, overcoming the shortcoming of emptiness at the front and back and strengthening the sense of three-dimensionality.

6. Turning-back branch.
The turning-back branch is mostly used in side-branch shaping. Because the first and second segments of the main branch have no side branches left, creating a defect of an empty gap, a turning-back branch can fill this gap and also increase the beauty of the branch's form. However, this branch must be bent in a craggy way to produce a good effect.

7. Rear-support branch.
A rear-support branch is a branch extending to the rear. When shaping, it may be slanted slightly to left and right, to increase the sense of three-dimensionality and make up for the shortcoming of emptiness on the left and right sides.

8. Centre-facing branch.
The main branch grows directly at the front of the trunk, with the branch tip facing the viewer. Sometimes, because of the relationship of sparse and dense arrangement of the branches, this branch cannot but be used. When shaping, the branch and the first segment should be shorter, and from the second segment onward it should be twisted crooked, bending rhythmically and extending to left and right. The branches of a centre-facing branch need not be too large.

9. Dot branch.
A dot branch is not a branch support; the shape of the branch needs no particular refinement, and it is enough for it simply to have a tiny dot of green, so as to play a decorative role. In a certain position, if adding a branch support would make it feel repetitively dense so that not even wind can pass through, yet not adding one would make that position feel empty, then using a dot branch is just right.

I have merely introduced a few common shapings. Beginners can use this basic knowledge and apply it in combination; there is no need to be too bound by form, but to be flexible and adaptable. Only in this way can good works be produced.
The shaping art of penjing is a great field of learning, and students need to observe the works of famous masters more and understand the authors' intentions and their lines of thought. When there is a chance, one can also look at some landscape Chinese paintings and learn some Chinese painting techniques; in this way one can raise one's own aesthetic standards.

An Introduction to Lingnan Penjing

An Introduction to Lingnan Penjing

Penjing is a kind of treasured garden art with a long history in China, and Lingnan penjing is one of the five great schools of penjing art in China (the Su school, the Yang school, the Chuan school, the Hui school and the Lingnan school).
Lingnan penjing originated in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but it was only after the founding of the People's Republic that it formed its unique style. The area in which penjing is grown takes Guangzhou as its centre and extends throughout the Pearl River Delta and the central-southern part of Guangxi. Guangzhou penjing is an important component of Lingnan penjing. People of Lingnan, and especially the people of Guangzhou, love penjing deeply, and growing penjing has become part of people's lives. Many households grow and display penjing on their rooftops, balconies, living rooms and studies, thereby beautifying their environment and enriching their lives; it can both please the eye and delight the mind, and also cultivate the temperament and bring endless pleasure.
In the creation of Lingnan penjing, local materials are mostly used, choosing subtropical and tropical evergreen small-leaved tree species, generally based on tree stumps that the people of Guangzhou call "tree saplings", with as many as more than 30 varieties, such as orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata), banyan, Fujian tea, Chinese swamp cypress, dragon juniper, Chinese elm, creeping wedelia, boxwood, Buddhist pine, rhododendron, Chinese plum yew, mountain tangerine and acacia. The compositional forms of Lingnan penjing include the single-trunk large tree type, or the twin-trunk, cliff-hanging, water-reflection, one-head-multiple-trunk, rock-attached and combined forms. Besides stump penjing, there is also rock-mountain penjing. The materials of rock-mountain penjing are Ying stone, calcite, coral stone, sandstone sinter and so on. Among these, Ying stone is a speciality of Yingde in Guangdong and has the characteristics of being wrinkled, thin and translucent, so it is mostly chosen for making rock-mountain penjing. In recent years, the penjing artists of Guangzhou have also developed the majestic and luxuriant large-tree shaping, the tall and sparse towering type, the verdant layered type with hanging pearls and dripping jade, and the naturally wild natural type.
In the making, display and appreciation of Lingnan penjing, there is a saying of "first the scenery, second the pot, third the stand", that is, besides the scenery, the choice of pot and stand is also very important. Lingnan penjing mostly uses Shiwan coloured pottery pots, including round dishes, square pots, polygonal pots, oval pots, rectangular upright pots and tall pots, with stress on absorbing water and breathing air, harmonious colour and lustre, moderate size, and simple antique elegance. The stands include floor-standing and table-stand types, mostly made of relatively precious woods such as mahogany, so that they are harmonious and coordinated and set each other off to mutual delight.

Speaking of Lingnan penjing, I should introduce to everyone Lingnan penjing'sthree characteristics, three styles and the three outstanding masters of penjing.

Lingnan school penjing has three characteristics that distinguish it from other schools.

First, its creative technique is unique, taking nature as its teacher and highlighting branch and trunk technique; its shaping or compositional layout comes from nature yet surpasses nature, striving for an organic combination of natural beauty and artificial beauty. Hence Lingnan penjing is praised as "living Chinese painting".

Second, it stresses the shaping and selection of both scenery and pot, striving for harmony and coordination between pot and scenery.

Third, it makes good use of pruning without revealing the traces of knife and shears. This technique is the greatest characteristic of Lingnan penjing, so people generally believe that Lingnan penjing is purely cut and trimmed into shape with knife and shears. By pruning branches and cutting leaves, the plant is made to grow and develop according to human will; as time passes, the traces of artificial cutting and trimming gradually disappear, and the various shapes become as if made by nature, excelling nature's workmanship.

Modern Lingnan penjing art has formed three styles that distinguish it from other schools.

The first is the shaping art represented by Ye Enfu of Foshan.He is skilled at rock-attached stump penjing, and likes to combine Ying stone and permeable stone with star tree, boxwood and sweet flag in a single pot, making the plant's roots climb and cling to stone crevices and beside rocks, so that the penjing appears gnarled and interlocking, with luxuriant branches and leaves, antique in colour and fragrance.

The second is the shaping art represented by Kong Taichu.He took landscape paintings as his imagery and carried out artistic creation on the basis of the plant's natural ecology, with a style both majestic and resolute, rigorous in composition and well-arranged in sparseness and density. He also, with the "miniature of a great tree", pioneered the technique of cultivating branches and cutting the trunk, so that a tree stump that has been cut and trimmed a thousand times presents the original appearance of a great tree, appearing even more majestic and craggy and powerful. An excellent penjing requires nearly 10 years or even longer to succeed, so no wonder people cannot help exclaiming, "Only when one landscape is complete have ten autumns already passed."

The third is the shaping art represented by the monk Suren of Haizhuang Temple in Guangzhou.His artistic style is like the freehand school in Chinese painting: he used only a few strokes of pale ink, with no luxuriant leaves or abundant branches, and with only a few tree forks formed a sparse and towering "towering type" penjing, creating an artistic conception lofty and free of the commonplace, leisurely and graceful, like poetry and like painting.
Lingnan has indeed produced abundant achievements and brought forth talents in great numbers.In Guangzhou penjing circles, Kong Taichu, Suren and Mo Difu are often called the "three outstanding masters of penjing".The penjing they created revered nature yet surpassed nature, conformed to painterly meaning yet surpassed painterly meaning.

Kong Taichu devoted himself to penjing creation for as long as more than 60 years, creating the majestic and craggy "large tree type" penjing and pioneering the "branch-cultivating and trunk-cutting" shaping art; the trunk is jagged and craggy, the crown full, and the branches well-arranged in sparseness and density, presenting the grand bearing of a vast wilderness. In 1990 he was named a national penjing master.

Suren was the abbot of Haizhuang Temple in Guangzhou and a great master in Buddhist circles. The penjing he created mostly imitated the painterly meaning of the predecessors Ni Yunlin and the Eight Great Mountain Men, taking their methods as the highest standard; the branches were clear and slender, the form taken from the tree itself, with no seeking of abundant branches, forming the sparse and towering "towering type" penjing.

Mo Minfu was the founder of "natural type" penjing. He was good at drawing on Chinese painting composition to create penjing, with lively and varied composition, brimming with wild interest, with emptiness and solidity, and striking contrast, in a style all his own.

If penjing is compared to painting, then Kong Taichu's penjing is fine brushwork, while the penjing of Suren and Mo Minfu is freehand painting. These three men are outstanding representatives of the cultivation and making of penjing in Guangzhou, known as the "three outstanding masters of penjing". Their works each have their own characteristics and style, and all embody the distinctive features of Lingnan penjing.