A Detailed Explanation of the Artistic Characteristics and Techniques of Lingnan Penjing Styling

  Lingnan penjing is one of the outstanding traditional arts of the Han Chinese and a treasure of garden art. It originated in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but its distinctive style took shape only after the founding of the People's Republic. The area where penjing is cultivated, centered on Guangzhou, extends across the Pearl River Delta and the south-central region of Guangxi. Guangzhou penjing is an important component of Lingnan penjing.

  People of the Lingnan region, especially those in Guangzhou, are passionately fond of penjing, and cultivating penjing has become part of daily life. Many households grow and display penjing on rooftops, balconies, in living rooms and studies to beautify their surroundings and enrich their lives, pleasing the eye, delighting the mind, and cultivating character. Lingnan penjing often uses Shiwan polychrome ceramic pots, available in round dishes, square pots, polygonal pots, oval pots, rectangular pots, tall pots and more, with attention paid to water absorption and breathability, harmonious color, moderate size, and a simple, elegant look. Stands come in floor-standing and tabletop types, mostly made of more precious woods such as rosewood, so that pot and stand harmonize and set each other off.

  Penjing is a living art, and no styling is ever absolute; there should be variation and development. What follows is the Lingnan penjing styling art that several generations of the Lingnan school developed through long exploration based on the scenery of nature and the principles of Chinese painting, and that is recognized within the field. It is offered for your reference only!

  1. Cliff type——ancient and gnarled on the precipice. The styling should give a feeling of upright integrity and strength reaching the clouds. Attention must be paid to “rising and falling with momentum”, meaning that from any angle in space, the trunk should be seen bending and extending in different directions; the main trunk hangs downward, with the base and roots gripping the rim of the pot; the extension of the trunk should be smooth, narrowing segment by segment, with clear pauses and turns in the curves, conveying a strong sense of rhythm; the tail of the tree should be full of life, with branch pads in appropriate positions and reasonable proportions of size. The branch style mostly uses chicken-claw branches, with occasional natural branches.

  2. Water-reflection type——admiring one's reflection and stirring emotion. It gives the impression of a clear spring, a bay of lake water, or a rippling little river, with a large tree firmly rooted on the bank, its treetop lying across the water's surface, using the water as a mirror and pitying its own reflection. The styling mainly imitates a large tree leaning over a riverbank: the roots always grow to one side and merge with the trunk as one, and the roots floating above the mud “drag the sand” to counterbalance the trunk; the crown should preferably have one large cascading branch, and the branch technique should be refined, cascading over the water and setting off the main trunk. The arrangement of branch pads should give a sense of swaying in the wind. The branch styles mostly use deer-antler branches, chicken-claw branches, cascading branches and natural branches.

  3. Kapok type——spirit piercing the clouds. A kapok tree rises towering from the ground, proud and vigorous, its branches coiling and spiraling, with the force of a soaring dragon. If one simply applies the technique of reducing the dragon to an inch without refinement, there will be little artistic conception; one must deliberately portray the kapok tree's vigor, uprightness, majesty and sturdiness. The trunk of the kapok tree should be upright, appearing straight within its curves, smooth and full of momentum; the base should be large with many “buttress roots”, gradually narrowing toward the tail, and the top should be flat; single-trunk and double-trunk forms are both acceptable. In branch technique, attention must be paid to proper contention and yielding, mutual responsiveness, appropriate length, and smooth extension.

  4. Single-trunk upright tree type——soaring straight up. On barren hills and open plains, one often sees a large tree standing upright in the wind, leaning against a mountain or rock; though it is not as upright and vigorous as the kapok, it still has no lack of masculine spirit. This is the single-trunk upright tree. Its styling is characterized by the absence of “opposite-door branches”; the positions of branch pads have no obvious rule, and the proportions of size should be basically appropriate, yet they need not be arranged in a completely regular sequence, and one or two falling branches or weeping branches should be deliberately added to make the styling more lively and vivid. The branch styles mostly use chicken-claw branches, parallel branches and weeping branches.

  Lingnan-school penjing refers to the penjing style of China's Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hong Kong, China regions. Its characteristics are natural, vigorous penjing, mostly using the “trunk chopping and branch training” styling method based on pruning, so that the branches are smooth, elegant and bold, achieving an artistic effect of both looseness and density. In a finished, trained penjing, any branch cut at random can meet the standard for an independent penjing styling, and once the leaves are removed the shape becomes even more graceful. Common materials for Lingnan penjing include: banyan, Chinese elm, Fujian tea (Carmona retusa), Chinese hackberry, orange jessamine (Murraya paniculata), serissa (Serissa japonica), bougainvillea, and plum pine (Sageretia thea), among others.

  Here I mainly introduce the types of branch formation.

  [Deer-antler branch]

  The main branch is relatively slender and long, with little difference between successive segments. The angle formed between the main branch and the trunk, and the angle between the side branches and the main trunk, are both relatively small. The branches mostly point upward and are fairly smooth, resembling deer antlers. It is suitable for literati tree styles, towering styles and slanting-trunk styles.

  [Chicken-claw branch]

  The branches are relatively thick and sturdy; generally the first segment is shorter and produces no side branches; side branches emerge only after the second segment. Likewise, the side branches also extend horizontal claws after the second segment, and the horizontal claws can further produce branches, forming claw branches. After the leaves fall, the branch form seen is strong 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 relatively large, but smaller than a right angle. The direction of the side branches varies greatly, expressing liveliness and vigor. It is mostly used for large-tree styles and cliff styles.

  [Whirling branch]

  The branches are supple and smooth; the whirling segments bend and extend outward until there is enough space before side branches are produced. The side branches then extend outward again after slightly narrowing. Afterward, the ends of the side branches produce horizontal angles, building up into a leaf order. It is suitable for branch formation in multi-trunk single-base tree styles, producing an effect that is luxuriant yet not chaotic.

  An introduction to the branch forms of Lingnan penjing:

  1. Cascading branch

  The shape of the branch is parallel but drifting slightly downward; the main branch whirls and rises and falls, with smooth curves and segments. It is commonly seen in elegant upright-trunk or slanting-trunk styles, and can enhance the tree's sense of drifting momentum.

  2. Parallel branch

  The branch form is parallel to the curves and segments of the main trunk, with little change in its upward or downward direction, forming a parallel arrangement with the secondary branches.

  3. Falling branch

  The shape of the branch is that the main branch bends downward with rising and falling movement, with a smooth and clearly defined rhythm; it is more vigorous than a weeping branch and can enhance the tree's sense of peril and dynamism. However, the position of the falling branch must be set appropriately, otherwise the effect will suffer.

  4. Weeping branch

  The shape of the branch is that the main branch is slightly arc-shaped, drooping downward with a lively posture, softer than a falling branch. The main branch grows downward relatively slowly. It is commonly seen in towering upright-trunk styles.

  5. Windmill branch

  The shape of the branch is that the main branch droops or lifts upward at the front, twisting and extending toward the trunk; it plays a dotting role in empty areas, overcoming the shortcoming of emptiness at the front and back and enhancing the sense of three-dimensionality.

  6. Turning-back branch

  The turning-back branch is mostly used in side-branch styling. Because the first and second segments of the main branch leave no side branches, creating a gap defect, a turning-back branch can fill this gap and also increase the beauty of the branch's shape. However, this branch must be bent with vigor to produce a good effect.

  7. Back-support branch

  A back-support branch refers to a branch extending backward. When styling, it can be slanted slightly left or right to increase the sense of three-dimensionality and make up for the shortcoming of emptiness on the left and right sides.

  8. Center-facing branch

  The main branch grows directly at the front of the trunk, with its tip facing the viewer. Sometimes, because of the relationship between sparse and dense branch arrangement, this branch cannot be omitted. When styling, the branch and its first segment should be shorter, and from the second segment onward it should be twisted askew, bending rhythmically and extending to the left and right. The center-facing branch need not be too large.

  9. Dot branch

  A dot branch is not a branch pad; its shape need not be refined, as long as there is a small dot of green to serve as an accent. In a certain position, if adding a branch pad would feel repetitively dense with no room to spare, but omitting a branch pad would leave that position feeling empty, then a dot branch is just right.

  I have only introduced some common stylings; beginners can use this basic knowledge and apply it comprehensively, without being too bound by form, and should adapt flexibly. Only in this way can good works be produced.

  The styling art of penjing is a vast field of study, and learners need to observe the works of masters more and understand the authors' intentions and their ways of thinking. When the opportunity arises, one can also look at some landscape Chinese paintings and learn some Chinese painting techniques; this can improve one's own aesthetic judgment.