Introduction to the Shanghai School of Penjing: One of the Schools of Chinese Penjing
Shanghai sits on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. Its entire territory is an alluvial plain, with only volcanic rock hills such as Sheshan in the southwestern part. Rivers and ports are densely distributed across the suburbs, and the Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou Creek) flow through the city; these serve as the main drainage channels and shipping routes of Taihu Lake. During the Tang Dynasty it belonged to Huating County, and in the Song Dynasty the town of Shanghai was first established. In the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1292 AD), Shanghai County was established. After the Opium War, the imperialist invaders forced the Qing government to open it as a commercial port. In 1928 it was established as the Shanghai Special Municipality. In 1930 it was renamed Shanghai Municipality, and it rapidly developed into China's largest industrial city, with foreign trade, commerce and finance once holding a leading position in Asia, earning it the title of “Pearl of the Orient”.
The penjing art of Shanghai has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty (1567-1620 AD), the penjing of the Jiading area of Shanghai had already reached a relatively high level for that time. Works such as Wang Mingshao's "Biographies of Three Artists of Jiading" from the Ming Dynasty, Lu Tingcan's "Random Notes from the South Village", and Cheng Tingwu's "Record of Paintings of the Lianshui Region" from the Qing Dynasty all contain accounts of penjing.
Owing to Shanghai's special geographical location and its important position in domestic and international trade, a Shanghai-style culture gradually took shape that was brave in innovation and creation and adept at absorbing new things. This culture found particularly outstanding expression in the art of Peking opera, becoming a major school of that art. Nourished by this culture, Shanghai penjing extensively absorbed the strengths of the major schools in China while also drawing on the shaping techniques of Japanese and overseas penjing, creating the Shanghai School of penjing, which takes nature as its teacher and seeks the aged, painterly quality. In 1965, penjing expert Zhou Baizhen put forward the proposition that "one must take nature as one's teacher, oppose artificiality, stiffness and loss of truth, eliminate the superfluous and retain the essential, and strive for novelty on the basis of studying the traditional penjing styles of various regions." In 1978, the Shanghai Botanical Garden established a penjing research institute, and creative activity became more lively than ever. In 1982, the paper "A Study of the Shanghai Penjing Style" was published, and the Shanghai School of penjing became further recognized and familiar among domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go out into the world, winning awards many times in international penjing appraisal events.
The Shanghai School of penjing is not bound by any single formula or limited by any set pattern, but in layout it places great emphasis on thematic focus, layering and variability. In the production process it strives to embody the wild charm of mountain forests, values the forms of ancient trees in nature and the individuality of tree species, guides the growth according to circumstances, applies color according to category, and, in accordance with the requirements of traditional Chinese painting theory, works hard to achieve both spiritual and formal likeness. Although, like all the northern schools, it pays attention to the shaping of foliage pads, the pads are not only greater in number, with no fixed specifications, but also vary in size, differ in shape, alternate between dense and sparse, and are free in their clustering and scattering, with vigorous flourishing as the primary goal. Therefore, it breaks a new path in technique, placing equal emphasis on wiring and pruning, not using palm fiber but instead winding metal wire around branches and trunks to create curved forms, and then carefully trimming and pruning to maintain graceful forms: combining strength and softness, flowing and natural.
The tree species used in Shanghai School penjing are extremely rich, with deciduous, evergreen, flowering and fruiting types all available, now reaching more than 140 species. Among these, evergreen pines and cypresses and flowering and fruiting types with both beautiful color and form are the mainstay. In recent years, some tree species have also been introduced from abroad (such as Japan and Portugal), making Shanghai School tree-stump penjing even more varied and colorful.
Within Shanghai's territory there are no great mountains, yet its landscape penjing has nevertheless developed considerably and achieved remarkable results. In the past, Shanghai's landscape penjing generally used hard stone as viewing stones; even water-absorbing soft stone was placed in deep water basins, showing only the posture of the peaks and lacking poetic and pictorial charm. Beginning in the 1960s, penjing masters such as Dong Shuyu and Yin Zimin carried out bold innovations in landscape penjing, absorbing the strengths of landscape penjing from other schools and taking the lead in using shallow-mouthed water basins, so that one could both view the mountainside and better appreciate the winding, ever-changing mountain foot (riverbank) and the shimmering water surface.
Today the Shanghai School landscape penjing has two major types: one uses hard mountain stones to express a close-up view, with steep, towering peaks and lush trees in the basin; the other uses soft stone materials such as sea-mother stone and pumice, carefully carved to bring out mountain veins and stone grain, planted with small trees (and grasses), to express a mood of level distance and deep distance. However, in terms of overall style, both types of landscape penjing are relatively vast: "The lone sail's distant shadow vanishes into the blue sky, only the Yangtze is seen flowing to the edge of heaven." This is undoubtedly the imprint carved by the regional environment on the souls of penjing artists, reflecting the regional character of an alluvial plain.
Schools of Chinese Penjing - Shanghai School Penjing
Shanghai sits on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. Its entire territory is an alluvial plain, with only volcanic rock hills such as Sheshan in the southwestern part. Rivers and ports are densely distributed across the suburbs, and the Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou Creek) flow through the city; these serve as the main drainage channels and shipping routes of Taihu Lake. During the Tang Dynasty it belonged to Huating County, and in the Song Dynasty the town of Shanghai was first established. In the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1292 AD), Shanghai County was established. After the Opium War, the imperialist invaders forced the Qing government to open it as a commercial port. In 1928 it was established as the Shanghai Special Municipality. In 1930 it was renamed Shanghai Municipality, and it rapidly developed into China's largest industrial city, with foreign trade, commerce and finance once holding a leading position in Asia, earning it the title of “Pearl of the Orient”.
The penjing art of Shanghai has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty (1567-1620 AD), the penjing of the Jiading area of Shanghai had already reached a relatively high level for that time. Works such as Wang Mingshao's "Biographies of Three Artists of Jiading" from the Ming Dynasty, Lu Tingcan's "Random Notes from the South Village", and Cheng Tingwu's "Record of Paintings of the Lianshui Region" from the Qing Dynasty all contain accounts of penjing.
Owing to Shanghai's special geographical location and its important position in domestic and international trade, a Shanghai-style culture gradually took shape that was brave in innovation and creation and adept at absorbing new things. This culture found particularly outstanding expression in the art of Peking opera, becoming a major school of that art. Nourished by this culture, Shanghai penjing extensively absorbed the strengths of the major schools in China while also drawing on the shaping techniques of Japanese and overseas penjing, creating the Shanghai School of penjing, which takes nature as its teacher and seeks the aged, painterly quality. In 1965, penjing expert Zhou Baizhen put forward the proposition that "one must take nature as one's teacher, oppose artificiality, stiffness and loss of truth, eliminate the superfluous and retain the essential, and strive for novelty on the basis of studying the traditional penjing styles of various regions." In 1978, the Shanghai Botanical Garden established a penjing research institute, and creative activity became more lively than ever. In 1982, the paper "A Study of the Shanghai Penjing Style" was published, and the Shanghai School of penjing became further recognized and familiar among domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go out into the world, winning awards many times in international penjing appraisal events.
The Shanghai School of penjing is not bound by any single formula or limited by any set pattern, but in layout it places great emphasis on thematic focus, layering and variability. In the production process it strives to embody the wild charm of mountain forests, values the forms of ancient trees in nature and the individuality of tree species, guides the growth according to circumstances, applies color according to category, and, in accordance with the requirements of traditional Chinese painting theory, works hard to achieve both spiritual and formal likeness. Although, like all the northern schools, it pays attention to the shaping of foliage pads, the pads are not only greater in number, with no fixed specifications, but also vary in size, differ in shape, alternate between dense and sparse, and are free in their clustering and scattering, with vigorous flourishing as the primary goal. Therefore, it breaks a new path in technique, placing equal emphasis on wiring and pruning, not using palm fiber but instead winding metal wire around branches and trunks to create curved forms, and then carefully trimming and pruning to maintain graceful forms: combining strength and softness, flowing and natural.
The tree species used in Shanghai School penjing are extremely rich, with deciduous, evergreen, flowering and fruiting types all available, now reaching more than 140 species. Among these, evergreen pines and cypresses and flowering and fruiting types with both beautiful color and form are the mainstay. In recent years, some tree species have also been introduced from abroad (such as Japan and Portugal), making Shanghai School tree-stump penjing even more varied and colorful.
Within Shanghai's territory there are no great mountains, yet its landscape penjing has nevertheless developed considerably and achieved remarkable results. In the past, Shanghai's landscape penjing generally used hard stone as viewing stones; even water-absorbing soft stone was placed in deep water basins, showing only the posture of the peaks and lacking poetic and pictorial charm. Beginning in the 1960s, penjing masters such as Dong Shuyu and Yin Zimin carried out bold innovations in landscape penjing, absorbing the strengths of landscape penjing from other schools and taking the lead in using shallow-mouthed water basins, so that one could both view the mountainside and better appreciate the winding, ever-changing mountain foot (riverbank) and the shimmering water surface.
Schools of Chinese Penjing - Shanghai School
Shanghai sits on the south bank of the Yangtze River estuary. Its entire territory is an alluvial plain, with only volcanic rock hills such as Sheshan in the southwestern part. Rivers and ports are densely distributed across the suburbs, and the Huangpu River and Wusong River (also known as Suzhou Creek) flow through the city; these serve as the main drainage channels and shipping routes of Taihu Lake. During the Tang Dynasty it belonged to Huating County, and in the Song Dynasty the town of Shanghai was first established. In the 29th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1292 AD), Shanghai County was established. After the Opium War, the imperialist invaders forced the Qing government to open it as a commercial port. In 1928 it was established as the Shanghai Special Municipality. In 1930 it was renamed Shanghai Municipality, and it rapidly developed into China's largest industrial city, with foreign trade, commerce and finance once holding a leading position in Asia, earning it the title of “Pearl of the Orient”.The penjing art of Shanghai has a history of more than 400 years. During the Longqing and Wanli eras of the Ming Dynasty (1567-1620 AD), the penjing of the Jiading area of Shanghai had already reached a relatively high level for that time. Works such as Wang Mingshao's "Biographies of Three Artists of Jiading" from the Ming Dynasty, Lu Tingcan's "Random Notes from the South Village", and Cheng Tingwu's "Record of Paintings of the Lianshui Region" from the Qing Dynasty all contain accounts of penjing.
Owing to Shanghai's special geographical location and its important position in domestic and international trade, a Shanghai-style culture gradually took shape that was brave in innovation and creation and adept at absorbing new things. This culture found particularly outstanding expression in the art of Peking opera, becoming a major school of that art. Nourished by this culture, Shanghai penjing extensively absorbed the strengths of the major schools in China while also drawing on the shaping techniques of Japanese and overseas penjing, creating the Shanghai School of penjing, which takes nature as its teacher and seeks the aged, painterly quality. In 1965, penjing expert Zhou Baizhen put forward the proposition that "one must take nature as one's teacher, oppose artificiality, stiffness and loss of truth, eliminate the superfluous and retain the essential, and strive for novelty on the basis of studying the traditional penjing styles of various regions." In 1978, the Shanghai Botanical Garden established a penjing research institute, and creative activity became more lively than ever. In 1982, the paper "A Study of the Shanghai Penjing Style" was published, and the Shanghai School of penjing became further recognized and familiar among domestic peers and enthusiasts, and began to go out into the world, winning awards many times in international penjing appraisal events.
The Shanghai School of penjing is not bound by any single formula or limited by any set pattern, but in layout it places great emphasis on thematic focus, layering and variability. In the production process it strives to embody the wild charm of mountain forests, values the forms of ancient trees in nature and the individuality of tree species, guides the growth according to circumstances, applies color according to category, and, in accordance with the requirements of traditional Chinese painting theory, works hard to achieve both spiritual and formal likeness. Although, like all the northern schools, it pays attention to the shaping of foliage pads, the pads are not only greater in number, with no fixed specifications, but also vary in size, differ in shape, alternate between dense and sparse, and are free in their clustering and scattering, with vigorous flourishing as the primary goal. Therefore, it breaks a new path in technique, placing equal emphasis on wiring and pruning, not using palm fiber but instead winding metal wire around branches and trunks to create curved forms, and then carefully trimming and pruning to maintain graceful forms: combining strength and softness, flowing and natural.
The tree species used in Shanghai School penjing are extremely rich, with deciduous, evergreen, flowering and fruiting types all available, now reaching more than 140 species. Among these, evergreen pines and cypresses and flowering and fruiting types with both beautiful color and form are the mainstay. In recent years, some tree species have also been introduced from abroad (such as Japan and Portugal), making Shanghai School tree-stump penjing even more varied and colorful.
Within Shanghai's territory there are no great mountains, yet its landscape penjing has nevertheless developed considerably and achieved remarkable results. In the past, Shanghai's landscape penjing generally used hard stone as viewing stones; even water-absorbing soft stone was placed in deep water basins, showing only the posture of the peaks and lacking poetic and pictorial charm. Beginning in the 1960s, penjing masters such as Dong Shuyu and Yin Zimin carried out bold innovations in landscape penjing, absorbing the strengths of landscape penjing from other schools and taking the lead in using shallow-mouthed water basins, so that one could both view the mountainside and better appreciate the winding, ever-changing mountain foot (riverbank) and the shimmering water surface.
Today the Shanghai School landscape penjing has two major types: one uses hard mountain stones to express a close-up view, with steep, towering peaks and lush trees in the basin; the other uses soft stone materials such as sea-mother stone and pumice, carefully carved to bring out mountain veins and stone grain, planted with small trees (and grasses), to express a mood of level distance and deep distance. However, in terms of overall style, both types of landscape penjing are relatively vast: "The lone sail's distant shadow vanishes into the blue sky, only the Yangtze is seen flowing to the edge of heaven." This is undoubtedly the imprint carved by the regional environment on the souls of penjing artists, reflecting the regional character of an alluvial plain.