A Detailed Explanation of the Artistic Characteristics, Material Selection Methods and Styling Techniques of Tongling Penjing

:Tongling penjing mostly draws its materials from the mountains and countryside of southern Anhui, absorbing the spiritual essence of Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, creating naturally born wonders, shifting sky and settling earth with no school or sect. In styling techniques, it should both inherit the excellent techniques of Hui-school penjing and broadly adopt the strengths of many schools, learning from nature, developing its own unique style and forming a system of its own - this is the direction of penjing development in our country.

Tongling is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Tongguan Mountain, at the dividing line of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a subtropical humid monsoon climate, four distinct seasons and a relatively large temperature difference, unique geological structures, and many wondrous mountains and strange rocks, suitable for the growth of many kinds of plants; according to statistics, there are currently 88 families and more than 600 species of plants, providing abundant plant resources and stone resources for the selection of materials and production of Tongling penjing.

Tongling is also a city with a long history; its beautiful mountains and rivers and rich products attracted historical celebrities and refined scholars, who fully toured the beautiful scenery of Tongguan, such as Li Bai, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, Wang Shipeng, Yang Wanli, Tang Xianzu and dozens of other famous poets of successive dynasties, all lingering here. It is adjacent to Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, deeply influenced by the traditional culture and art of the Hui school. These uniquely favorable geographical and cultural conditions provide an inexhaustible creative source for Tongling penjing.

I. Material Selection and Collection-Cultivation of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing mostly draws its materials from the deep mountains of southern Anhui. The tree species for stump penjing are mainly top-grade ones such as Chinese sweet plum (Sageretia thea), Miling winterberry (Ilex cornuta 'Miling' or similar fine-leaved holly), heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), trident maple (Acer buergerianum), Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta), Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), chaste tree (Vitex negundo), Chinese euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) and azalea (Rhododendron), along with other tree species such as black pine (Pinus thunbergii), five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) and Buddhist pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus). Landscape penjing commonly uses stone types such as reed-pipe stone, sandy accumulated stone, thousand-layer stone, tortoise-pattern stone, stalactite, axe-cut stone, Ying stone and Xuan stone. For water-and-land penjing, the tree species selected are commonly Chinese elm, Chinese sweet plum, trident maple and others.

The materials for stump penjing are generally collected by digging rough stock in the wild deep mountains from late autumn and early winter to spring, mostly with bare roots. Before cultivation, strict examination and measurement are carried out; according to the natural form and growth vigor, the styling is conceived, pruning and sawing are done before planting, then mud slurry is applied, a shed frame is built, and it is planted in plain sand or plain sandy soil, watered thoroughly, and covered with plastic film to increase the air humidity inside the shed and to raise temperature and prevent cold, promoting early sprouting, rooting and survival. Early cultivation techniques mainly involve maintaining humidity and preventing dehydration and withering of tender buds and twigs caused by exposure to the scorching sun; timely misting and gradual ventilation are needed so that they gradually adapt to the external environment, while also reducing damage from aphids. During the process of raising the stock, buds are supported and branches are nurtured in a timely manner so as to concentrate nutrients. Half a year after survival, thin and light fertilizer is applied as appropriate to increase the nutrients of the stump, while focusing on cultivating the main branches, tying them in a timely manner and carrying out styling.

II. Styling Techniques of Three Main Types of Penjing Forms

In terms of styling techniques, Tongling stump penjing, while inheriting and carrying forward the traditional techniques of the Hui school, is also not confined to one pattern, breaks the original model of Hui-school penjing, and adopts the strengths of many schools. In particular, it absorbs the techniques of trunk accumulation and branch truncation and the pruning-and-tying methods from many schools of penjing styling such as the Shanghai school, Suzhou school and Lingnan school, forming its own artistic style with strong local characteristics. Through different techniques of accumulating and truncating the trunk, carving and chiseling, pruning and tying trunk and branches, and technical treatment of root direction and exposed surface roots, it displays ruggedness, antiquity, elegance and freedom. In the treatment of small branches, pruning is mainly used, creating the forms of chicken claws and deer antlers. Therefore, Tongling stump penjing has small branches densely clustered and luxuriant, large branches with well-proportioned spacing, and smooth lines, embodying the unity of static and dynamic. The treatment of the penjing is also very refined, either paired with two or three stones, or made into natural undulations, or dotted with ornaments, to express the vividness and natural perfection of a work.

In the creativity of Tongling landscape penjing, it mostly draws on the three-distance techniques of Chinese painting - level distance, deep distance and high distance - and fully embodies in the works the beautiful natural landscapes of the mountains and rivers, rivers, lakes and marshes of southern Anhui. Some works have scattered peaks, rolling and undulating ranges, gently curving slopes and banks, high skies and moist waters, vast misty waves, and are beautiful and elegant; some works have rough lines, towering and upright peaks, powerful and vigorous momentum, firm and strong, with strong artistic appeal; or mountains surrounding on all sides, layer upon layer, or landscapes deep and distant, with profound artistic conception, leaving endless aftertaste. In processing and material selection, attention is paid to the unity of stone texture, color and quality, with height, size and thickness in consistent yet staggered arrangement, guest and host responding to each other, the guest not overpowering the host, and the host not failing the guest. The ornamentation of accessories is harmoniously unified according to the needs of the theme, reflecting overall coordination and perfection.

In Tongling water-and-land penjing, the works often combine trees and stones in material use, and some also combine trees, stones and water. Such works have stronger artistic appeal, greater technical difficulty and stricter requirements. The works integrate the technical methods of penjing; the conception and composition are rigorous and natural, highlighting the main content the picture intends to express, suggesting the content of the guest scenery, with few but refined accessory ornaments that set off the main scenery, making the picture more vivid and lively, the artistic effect closer to nature, and embodying the rural charm of southern Anhui. This type of work has diverse themes, including humanistic landscapes and pastoral rural charm, making full use of penjing as a special artistic expression method, staying close to nature, expressing nature and reproducing nature.

III. Artistic Characteristics of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing emphasizes learning from nature, strives to preserve natural characteristics, and creates momentum according to the subject matter; it mostly takes the beautiful mountains and rivers of Huangshan, Jiuhua and southern Anhui and rural charm as its creative source. In layout and composition, it is not confined to one pattern, flexibly using strong-weak contrast, tempering hardness with softness, mutual generation of virtual and actual, looking up and down, parting and joining, and well-proportioned arrangement, striving to seek change within unity and harmony within contrast, thereby highlighting the theme and expressing emotion and meaning. Precisely because of the unique flavor of Tongling penjing, from the 1980s to the present it has consistently ranked among the best in national and provincial exhibitions, winning a gold award each time.

Tongling penjing has also improved along with the improvement of people's material life, focusing on spiritual and material needs. The artistic techniques of penjing originate from nature, are higher than nature, and reproduce nature, conforming to contemporary people's concept of advocating nature. Therefore, the development of penjing also has broad prospects; some works are now not only collected by domestic masters but also favored by foreign masters. It is believed that as long as it follows nature and conforms to Chinese culture, Tongling penjing will still make greater progress and develop faster.

Material Selection, Styling and Techniques of Tongling Penjing

Flower and Penjing Network guide: Today the editor of Flower and Penjing Network will share with you an article about the material selection, styling and techniques of Tongling penjing. Let's take a look together!

Tongling penjing mostly draws its materials from the mountains and countryside of southern Anhui, absorbing the spiritual essence of Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, creating naturally born wonders, shifting sky and settling earth with no school or sect. In styling techniques, it should both inherit the excellent techniques of Hui-school penjing and broadly adopt the strengths of many schools, learning from nature, developing its own unique style and forming a system of its own - this is the direction of penjing development in our country.

Tongling is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Tongguan Mountain, at the dividing line of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a subtropical humid monsoon climate, four distinct seasons and a relatively large temperature difference, unique geological structures, and many wondrous mountains and strange rocks, suitable for the growth of many kinds of plants; according to statistics, there are currently 88 families and more than 600 species of plants, providing abundant plant resources and stone resources for the selection of materials and production of Tongling penjing.

Tongling is also a city with a long history; its beautiful mountains and rivers and rich products attracted historical celebrities and refined scholars, who fully toured the beautiful scenery of Tongguan, such as Li Bai, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, Wang Shipeng, Yang Wanli, Tang Xianzu and dozens of other famous poets of successive dynasties, all lingering here. It is adjacent to Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, deeply influenced by the traditional culture and art of the Hui school. These uniquely favorable geographical and cultural conditions provide an inexhaustible creative source for Tongling penjing.I. Material Selection and Collection-Cultivation of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing mostly draws its materials from the deep mountains of southern Anhui. The tree species for stump penjing are mainly top-grade ones such as Chinese sweet plum (Sageretia thea), Miling winterberry, heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), trident maple (Acer buergerianum), Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta), Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), chaste tree (Vitex negundo), Chinese euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) and azalea (Rhododendron), along with other tree species such as black pine (Pinus thunbergii), five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) and Buddhist pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus). Landscape penjing commonly uses stone types such as reed-pipe stone, sandy accumulated stone, thousand-layer stone, tortoise-pattern stone, stalactite, axe-cut stone, Ying stone and Xuan stone. For water-and-land penjing, the tree species selected are commonly Chinese elm, Chinese sweet plum, trident maple and others.

The materials for stump penjing are generally collected by digging rough stock in the wild deep mountains from late autumn and early winter to spring, mostly with bare roots. Before cultivation, strict examination and measurement are carried out; according to the natural form and growth vigor, the styling is conceived, pruning and sawing are done before planting, then mud slurry is applied, a shed frame is built, and it is planted in plain sand or plain sandy soil, watered thoroughly, and covered with plastic film to increase the air humidity inside the shed and to raise temperature and prevent cold, promoting early sprouting, rooting and survival. Early cultivation techniques mainly involve maintaining humidity and preventing dehydration and withering of tender buds and twigs caused by exposure to the scorching sun; timely misting and gradual ventilation are needed so that they gradually adapt to the external environment, while also reducing damage from aphids. During the process of raising the stock, buds are supported and branches are nurtured in a timely manner so as to concentrate nutrients. Half a year after survival, thin and light fertilizer is applied as appropriate to increase the nutrients of the stump, while focusing on cultivating the main branches, tying them in a timely manner and carrying out styling.II. Styling Techniques of Three Main Types of Penjing Forms

In terms of styling techniques, Tongling stump penjing, while inheriting and carrying forward the traditional techniques of the Hui school, is also not confined to one pattern, breaks the original model of Hui-school penjing, and adopts the strengths of many schools. In particular, it absorbs the techniques of trunk accumulation and branch truncation and the pruning-and-tying methods from many schools of penjing styling such as the Shanghai school, Suzhou school and Lingnan school, forming its own artistic style with strong local characteristics. Through different techniques of accumulating and truncating the trunk, carving and chiseling, pruning and tying trunk and branches, and technical treatment of root direction and exposed surface roots, it displays ruggedness, antiquity, elegance and freedom. In the treatment of small branches, pruning is mainly used, creating the forms of chicken claws and deer antlers. Therefore, Tongling stump penjing has small branches densely clustered and luxuriant, large branches with well-proportioned spacing, and smooth lines, embodying the unity of static and dynamic. The treatment of the penjing is also very refined, either paired with two or three stones, or made into natural undulations, or dotted with ornaments, to express the vividness and natural perfection of a work.

In the creativity of Tongling landscape penjing, it mostly draws on the three-distance techniques of Chinese painting - level distance, deep distance and high distance - and fully embodies in the works the beautiful natural landscapes of the mountains and rivers, rivers, lakes and marshes of southern Anhui. Some works have scattered peaks, rolling and undulating ranges, gently curving slopes and banks, high skies and moist waters, vast misty waves, and are beautiful and elegant; some works have rough lines, towering and upright peaks, powerful and vigorous momentum, firm and strong, with strong artistic appeal; or mountains surrounding on all sides, layer upon layer, or landscapes deep and distant, with profound artistic conception, leaving endless aftertaste. In processing and material selection, attention is paid to the unity of stone texture, color and quality, with height, size and thickness in consistent yet staggered arrangement, guest and host responding to each other, the guest not overpowering the host, and the host not failing the guest. The ornamentation of accessories is harmoniously unified according to the needs of the theme, reflecting overall coordination and perfection.

In Tongling water-and-land penjing, the works often combine trees and stones in material use, and some also combine trees, stones and water. Such works have stronger artistic appeal, greater technical difficulty and stricter requirements. The works integrate the technical methods of penjing; the conception and composition are rigorous and natural, highlighting the main content the picture intends to express, suggesting the content of the guest scenery, with few but refined accessory ornaments that set off the main scenery, making the picture more vivid and lively, the artistic effect closer to nature, and embodying the rural charm of southern Anhui. This type of work has diverse themes, including humanistic landscapes and pastoral rural charm, making full use of penjing as a special artistic expression method, staying close to nature, expressing nature and reproducing nature.III. Artistic Characteristics of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing emphasizes learning from nature, strives to preserve natural characteristics, and creates momentum according to the subject matter; it mostly takes the beautiful mountains and rivers of Huangshan, Jiuhua and southern Anhui and rural charm as its creative source. In layout and composition, it is not confined to one pattern, flexibly using strong-weak contrast, tempering hardness with softness, mutual generation of virtual and actual, looking up and down, parting and joining, and well-proportioned arrangement, striving to seek change within unity and harmony within contrast, thereby highlighting the theme and expressing emotion and meaning. Precisely because of the unique flavor of Tongling penjing, from the 1980s to the present it has consistently ranked among the best in national and provincial exhibitions, winning a gold award each time.

Tongling penjing has also improved along with the improvement of people's material life, focusing on spiritual and material needs. The artistic techniques of penjing originate from nature, are higher than nature, and reproduce nature, conforming to contemporary people's concept of advocating nature. Therefore, the development of penjing also has broad prospects; some works are now not only collected by domestic masters but also favored by foreign masters. It is believed that as long as it follows nature and conforms to Chinese culture, Tongling penjing will still make greater progress and develop faster. (Author's affiliation: Tongling Municipal Landscape Management Office)

Penjing|Material Selection|Styling|Techniques

Tongling is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, at the foot of Tongguan Mountain, at the dividing line of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a subtropical humid monsoon climate, four distinct seasons and a relatively large temperature difference, unique geological structures, and many wondrous mountains and strange rocks, suitable for the growth of many kinds of plants; according to statistics, there are currently 88 families and more than 600 species of plants, providing abundant plant resources and stone resources for the selection of materials and production of Tongling penjing.

Tongling is also a city with a long history; its beautiful mountains and rivers and rich products attracted historical celebrities and refined scholars, who fully toured the beautiful scenery of Tongguan, such as Li Bai, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, Wang Shipeng, Yang Wanli, Tang Xianzu and dozens of other famous poets of successive dynasties, all lingering here. It is adjacent to Huangshan and Jiuhua Mountain, deeply influenced by the traditional culture and art of the Hui school. These uniquely favorable geographical and cultural conditions provide an inexhaustible creative source for Tongling penjing.

I. Material Selection and Collection-Cultivation of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing mostly draws its materials from the deep mountains of southern Anhui. The tree species for stump penjing are mainly top-grade ones such as Chinese sweet plum (Sageretia thea), Miling winterberry, heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), trident maple (Acer buergerianum), Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta), Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), chaste tree (Vitex negundo), Chinese euonymus (Euonymus fortunei) and azalea (Rhododendron), along with other tree species such as black pine (Pinus thunbergii), five-needle pine (Pinus parviflora) and Buddhist pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus). Landscape penjing commonly uses stone types such as reed-pipe stone, sandy accumulated stone, thousand-layer stone, tortoise-pattern stone, stalactite, axe-cut stone, Ying stone and Xuan stone. For water-and-land penjing, the tree species selected are commonly Chinese elm, Chinese sweet plum, trident maple and others.

The materials for stump penjing are generally collected by digging rough stock in the wild deep mountains from late autumn and early winter to spring, mostly with bare roots. Before cultivation, strict examination and measurement are carried out; according to the natural form and growth vigor, the styling is conceived, pruning and sawing are done before planting, then mud slurry is applied, a shed frame is built, and it is planted in plain sand or plain sandy soil, watered thoroughly, and covered with plastic film to increase the air humidity inside the shed and to raise temperature and prevent cold, promoting early sprouting, rooting and survival. Early cultivation techniques mainly involve maintaining humidity and preventing dehydration and withering of tender buds and twigs caused by exposure to the scorching sun; timely misting and gradual ventilation are needed so that they gradually adapt to the external environment, while also reducing damage from aphids. During the process of raising the stock, buds are supported and branches are nurtured in a timely manner so as to concentrate nutrients. Half a year after survival, thin and light fertilizer is applied as appropriate to increase the nutrients of the stump, while focusing on cultivating the main branches, tying them in a timely manner and carrying out styling.

II. Styling Techniques of Three Main Types of Penjing Forms

In terms of styling techniques, Tongling stump penjing, while inheriting and carrying forward the traditional techniques of the Hui school, is also not confined to one pattern, breaks the original model of Hui-school penjing, and adopts the strengths of many schools. In particular, it absorbs the techniques of trunk accumulation and branch truncation and the pruning-and-tying methods from many schools of penjing styling such as the Shanghai school, Suzhou school and Lingnan school, forming its own artistic style with strong local characteristics. Through different techniques of accumulating and truncating the trunk, carving and chiseling, pruning and tying trunk and branches, and technical treatment of root direction and exposed surface roots, it displays ruggedness, antiquity, elegance and freedom. In the treatment of small branches, pruning is mainly used, creating the forms of chicken claws and deer antlers. Therefore, Tongling stump penjing has small branches densely clustered and luxuriant, large branches with well-proportioned spacing, and smooth lines, embodying the unity of static and dynamic. The treatment of the penjing is also very refined, either paired with two or three stones, or made into natural undulations, or dotted with ornaments, to express the vividness and natural perfection of a work.

In the creativity of Tongling landscape penjing, it mostly draws on the three-distance techniques of Chinese painting - level distance, deep distance and high distance - and fully embodies in the works the beautiful natural landscapes of the mountains and rivers, rivers, lakes and marshes of southern Anhui. Some works have scattered peaks, rolling and undulating ranges, gently curving slopes and banks, high skies and moist waters, vast misty waves, and are beautiful and elegant; some works have rough lines, towering and upright peaks, powerful and vigorous momentum, firm and strong, with strong artistic appeal; or mountains surrounding on all sides, layer upon layer, or landscapes deep and distant, with profound artistic conception, leaving endless aftertaste. In processing and material selection, attention is paid to the unity of stone texture, color and quality, with height, size and thickness in consistent yet staggered arrangement, guest and host responding to each other, the guest not overpowering the host, and the host not failing the guest. The ornamentation of accessories is harmoniously unified according to the needs of the theme, reflecting overall coordination and perfection.

In Tongling water-and-land penjing, the works often combine trees and stones in material use, and some also combine trees, stones and water. Such works have stronger artistic appeal, greater technical difficulty and stricter requirements. The works integrate the technical methods of penjing; the conception and composition are rigorous and natural, highlighting the main content the picture intends to express, suggesting the content of the guest scenery, with few but refined accessory ornaments that set off the main scenery, making the picture more vivid and lively, the artistic effect closer to nature, and embodying the rural charm of southern Anhui. This type of work has diverse themes, including humanistic landscapes and pastoral rural charm, making full use of penjing as a special artistic expression method, staying close to nature, expressing nature and reproducing nature.

III. Artistic Characteristics of Tongling Penjing

Tongling penjing emphasizes learning from nature, strives to preserve natural characteristics, and creates momentum according to the subject matter; it mostly takes the beautiful mountains and rivers of Huangshan, Jiuhua and southern Anhui and rural charm as its creative source. In layout and composition, it is not confined to one pattern, flexibly using strong-weak contrast, tempering hardness with softness, mutual generation of virtual and actual, looking up and down, parting and joining, and well-proportioned arrangement, striving to seek change within unity and harmony within contrast, thereby highlighting the theme and expressing emotion and meaning. Precisely because of the unique flavor of Tongling penjing, from the 1980s to the present it has consistently ranked among the best in national and provincial exhibitions, winning a gold award each time.

Tongling penjing has also improved along with the improvement of people's material life, focusing on spiritual and material needs. The artistic techniques of penjing originate from nature, are higher than nature, and reproduce nature, conforming to contemporary people's concept of advocating nature. Therefore, the development of penjing also has broad prospects; some works are now not only collected by domestic masters but also favored by foreign masters. It is believed that as long as it follows nature and conforms to Chinese culture, Tongling penjing will still make greater progress and develop faster. (Author's affiliation: Tongling Municipal Landscape Management Office)