Natural bonsai are a most beautiful decoration for the Chinese classical study
The feng shui layout of a study that influences destiny deserves your attention; the study is an important component of the home environment. The study is both an extension of the workplace and a part of daily home life.
The study should be filled with a scholarly atmosphere, so the plants chosen should not be too many, and foliage plants or potted flowers with light, elegant colors are more suitable. For a smaller study, you can choose small, evergreen, lush coniferous plants such as asparagus fern and five-needle pine; the number should not be large.
An elegant Chinese classical study cannot do without the adornment of natural greenery; men of letters in particular all like to place a bonsai they have kept for many years in their own study. It not only refreshes and gathers energy for the whole space, but is also an embodiment of an elegant state of mind and poetic sentiment.
Ginkgo—the spiritual sustenance of men of letters
The ginkgo, having weathered wind and rain, is most loved by men of letters ancient and modern. Its posture is ancient and lofty, its momentum majestic, its trunk gnarled and twisted, lush and solemn. The gracefully shaped ginkgo, processed into a bonsai, condenses the majestic posture of the ginkgo in nature into a pot; with the roots slightly exposed and the branches and leaves lightly shaped and pruned, it is classically elegant and full of wild charm, vigorous and verdant in summer, handsome and magnificent in golden autumn, with golden hues that seem within reach. Placed on the display table of a Chinese study, it delights the eye and lifts the spirit.
Yew—the national treasure among bonsai
The yew, also known as the Chinese yew (Taxus), has endured ten thousand years of frost and hardship and emerged transformed by the vicissitudes of time into its present peerless elegance. The yew is evergreen through all four seasons, verdant and elegant, with a very long lifespan, still thriving after a hundred years, and so it is called the "longevity tree." Its trunk is straight, its form graceful, and when the seeds mature the seed coat turns red, dazzling to the eye; it is truly an excellent bonsai and landscaping tree species. Nowadays, if a yew bonsai is placed in a Chinese study, guests will be full of envy. A rare thing will surely be placed in a prominent spot in the home, and the desk in the study is the very best place. It delights the eye and can also purify the air, making breathing smooth and prolonging life.
Elm—using the tree to symbolize the person
Men of letters who keep an idle bonsai at home always embody a noble quality of thought. The elm likes light, tolerates drought, cold, and poor soil, is not choosy about soil, has an extremely developed root system, tolerates pruning, grows fast, and lives long. Old elm stumps growing in the wild, after years of being split by axes and chisels, or stripped by wind and rain and gnawed by animals, gradually form many different strange postures. The elm's sprouting power is strong by nature, with twisted roots and gnarled branches, vigorous and ancient; some turn decay into magic, with withered roots and new leaves, opening up a world of their own. In ancient China, scholars often planted elms at home to warn themselves. Therefore, unyielding endurance through all vicissitudes is the nature of the elm, and also the high moral character that men of letters greatly value.
Bonsai—the most beautiful scene of a Chinese classical study
Moving natural scenes into a tiny pot, so that they form a picture imitating nature and a ideal three-dimensional image surpassing the original state of mountains and wilds, is what is meant by bonsai. The beauty of bonsai is like an ancient Zen melody deep and secluded as a chiming stone bell, like a lingering Zen painting in ink and wash, like a Zen poem of rising and falling cadences, faint and distant, empty and still, reaching far into the profound. The temperament contained within a green-plant bonsai exactly suits the deep yearning of literati and refined scholars for reclusion, lofty transcendence, pure emptiness, and far-reaching detachment; therefore, placing a bonsai in a Chinese study adds a corner of quiet seclusion and a room of elegance.
On the bookshelf, you can place a mini bonsai composed of petite, brightly colored succulent plants to enrich the colors of the study; on the writing desk, place delicate small foliage plants, such as various pepper plants (Peperomia), mirror grass (Pilea peperomioides), nerve plants (Fittonia), orchids, and arrowhead plants (Syngonium). This lets the study's owner, after long hours of intense mental work, enjoy the plants for a while, relaxing the nerves, adjusting eyesight, dispelling drowsiness, and improving the efficiency of study and work.
Generally speaking, placing the desk at the Wenchang position is the best choice, but from the perspective of fate calculation, it is best to arrange it in combination with the favorable elements of the owner's birth horoscope, because if Wenchang is a favorable element, then everyone is happy, but if Wenchang happens to be an unfavorable element, then the placement position must be changed; this is also the same for choosing the location of the study. Overall, the position of the desk should be chosen in an auspicious direction, while the position of the bookcase should be placed in an inauspicious position, so as to suppress the inauspicious forces. In addition, because books are heavy, the bookcase must be chosen first of all for sturdiness, to avoid danger.
Since the orientation of the desk determines the placement of the chair, that is, you must pay attention to whether there is backing behind it, besides this, choosing a comfortable chair is also very necessary. Choosing a chair that can be adjusted flexibly is a good choice; by adjusting the tilt angle of the backrest, you can appropriately relieve fatigue and bodily stiffness caused by sitting upright for a long time without moving.