The Elegance and Leisurely Delights of Wu Culture in Suzhou-Style Penjing
“A Record of a Floating Life, encountering Suzhou-style penjing”, meet you on November 29 at Liujue Art Museum. Gathering with friends through scenery, poetry within the scenery, painting within the scenery, distinctive charm within the scenery, sharing the refined elegance brought by Suzhou-style penjing through listening, reading, appreciating and tasting.
This exhibition focuses on appreciating Suzhou-style penjing, complemented by watching penjing pruning and shaping demonstrations, listening to the exquisite sounds of silk-and-bamboo music, viewing Wumen calligraphy and painting, and tasting tea and refreshments, combined with art exchange and interaction - a Suzhou-style cultural living gathering.
Suzhou-style penjing is one of the five major schools of Chinese penjing, with a long history originating in the Tang Dynasty, flourishing in the Song Dynasty and peaking in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty, Su Shi and Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty, Wen Zhengming and Wen Zhenheng of the Ming Dynasty, Hu Huanzhang of the Qing Dynasty, and in modern times Zhou Shoujuan and Zhu Zi'an all contributed to the development of Suzhou-style penjing art.
The charm of Suzhou-style penjing lies in elevating potted plants above mere horticulture. It is not merely a shaping technique, but also a way to express emotions through penjing creation, to convey thoughts through scenery, and to reflect on the philosophy of life - truly as the saying goes, “Life is but a dream, what joy can we grasp”.
In terms of shaping design, it advocates natural beauty, drawing on the spirit of heaven and earth, and is deeply influenced by Wu culture, establishing a unique style. Suzhou-style penjing enjoys such an important status because it is inseparable from the literati's love of reclusive life, expressing emotions through scenery, and a mindset of non-contention with the world. In particular, the perfect collaboration between modern literatus Mr. Zhou Shoujuan and horticulturist Mr. Zhu Zi'an elevated Suzhou-style penjing to a new height, making it renowned both domestically and internationally. Their works possess a natural posture, as if formed by nature itself, blended with literati sensibility - poetry visible within the scenery, with spirit, form and charm all complete, leaving an endless aftertaste!
In recent years, with the elevation of aesthetic tastes, potted plants as an indispensable part of interior decoration have been increasingly sought after by the public. Against this backdrop, Suzhou-style penjing has surpassed its predecessors, with brilliant works appearing one after another, and a group of highly skilled young penjing cultivation artists has emerged, laying the cornerstone for the development and inheritance of Suzhou-style penjing.
Developing through the years, inheriting Suzhou-style penjing is the purpose of this event. In addition to the surviving works of masters Zhou Shoujuan and Zhu Zi'an, the rest are provided by Mr. Shen Xiangzhong, owner of Liujue Art Museum in Xiangcheng District, Suzhou, which is an intangible cultural heritage inheritance project for Suzhou-style penjing, and his friends. Among them are many fine pieces cultivated over many years, and quite a few works have won major awards at national penjing exhibitions.