In this video, you can see how a bonsai tree has seamlessly grown into a rock in a landscape bonsai.

Visit this post – Lingnan Penjing Show in Daliang China – for more about the bonsai show in Daliang, China.

If you want to see more photos of southern style bonsai, visit Daliang Bonsai Show album in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

If you want to see more photos of southern style bonsai, visit Daliang Bonsai Show album in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

大良盆景協會 (literal translation: Daliang Penjing Association) invited over 500 bonsai enthusiasts all over China to attend its lingnan penjing show.
LEFT: The committee members of Institute of Lingnan Penjing Hong Kong
RIGHT: 5 renowned penjing artists has formed a group and called themselves 嶺南盆景痴友 (literal translation: Lingnan Penjing Maniac)

Entrance of the bonsai show venue

In the lingnan penjing show, one could find many penjing work by Mr. Han Xue Nian (韓學年先生) – the Chairman of Daliang Penjing Association. While Mr. Han’s specialty is pines (indeed, he is nicknamed as 松王 – the Pine King), he grows bonsai trees of different species and styles. Here is one of his creative work.

I especially admire this bonsai.  Note how the trunk of the tree has fully grown into the rock.  I wonder how many years has the bonsai artist – Mr. Zeng An Chang (曾安昌先生) – taken to get the tree to grow so seamlessly into the rock.

There’s an elephant under the tree

Unlike Japanese bonsai, one can often find figurines in Chinese penjing.
If you are interested in learn more about the different bonsai styles, you should definitely check out these posts in Bonsai Style category.

For more photos of southern style bonsai, visit Daliang Bonsai Show album in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

Here I would like to thank William Lee – fellow bonsai apprentice of Teacher Wong – for sharing the photos he took in the bonsai exhibition with us in Happy Bonsai.

For more photos, please visit the album of Bonsai Exhibition in HK Flower Show 2011 in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

Check out this post for Bonsai Exhibition in Hong Kong Flower Show 2010.

RIGHT:  Entrance of the antique Chinese bonsai pot gallery in Qu Yi Garden

LEFT: I really like this wooden sculpture that is placed in the entrance of the gallery.

The pot on the left is made of peach clay (桃花泥) and the pot on the right is made of purple clay (aka zisha clay, 紫泥).  Beautiful carving work, full of details.

These few pots are from the Qing dynasty.  I remember I saw some bonsai pots in the gallery that are from period as early as the Yuen dynasty (A.D. 1271-1368).

Beautiful art this is, isn’t it?

There are also many figurines and suiseki rocks in the gallery.

You can find more photos in the album of Qu Yi Garden – Antique China Pots and Stone Art in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

You can check out this post – Visiting Qu Yi Garden – A Big Big Penjing Gallery! – for more about Qy Yi Garden and its bonsai displays.

And definitely check out this post – Suiseki Stones & Figurines in Qu Yi Garden – if you like beautiful suiseki stones and antique Chinese figurines.

Doesn’t this suiseki rock look like a citrus cut in half?

Does this look like an old woman looking at a duck?

These daiza – the carved wood bases – are so beautiful; very well carved and perfectly conforming to the shape of the suiseki stone.

This carved stone is one of my favorite in Wu’s suiseki stone showroom.

I am told that many of these figurines cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Happy Bonsai Shop has this Zhong Kui – the Chinese Ghostbuster -figurine for sale too. Of course, not in a “antique and collection price”, but in a very affordable price haha

What a great way to display a collection of figurines!  It is easy, convenient, and interesting I definitely will give it a try with my figurine collection!

Check out this post -Antique Chinese Pottery and Figurines in Qu Yi Garden – to find out more about the antique Chinese pottery gallery in Qu Yi Garden. Lots of beautiful bonsai pots there

A corner of Qu Yi Garden

Mr. Wu Cheng-Fa is the Chairman of Hong Kong Penjing and Artstone Society, as well as WBFF international consultant. Obviously he is one bonsai enthusiast. But moreover, Mr. Wu Cheng-Fa is an art collector who has dedicated much of his time and wealth on promoting the art of Chinese penjing to the world.

With Mr. Wu Cheng-Fa (吳成發先生), the owner of this amazing bonsai gallery

With his large, beautiful collection of penjing, bonsai pots, and suiseki stones displaying in Qu Yi Garden, Mr. Wu Cheng-Fa invites fellow bonsai lovers and bonsai enthusiasts to his huge gallery/workshop, and together, share bonsai knowledge and ideas.

RIGHT: Teacher Wong shares some bonsai stories of  his younger days with the club members.
LEFT: WBFF Chairman – Mr. Hu Yun-Hua – came over to our group and joined the conversation.

A group photo of our bonsai club members with Teacher Wong Chiu Shing (黄就成先生), Mr. Hu Yun-Hua (胡運驊先生), Mr. Liu Chuan-Guan (劉傳剛先生, Director of Hainan Province Penjing Society), and Mr. Zheng Zai-Quan (鄭在權先生, Vice-Chairman of Hong Kong Penjing and Artstone Society)

There are more than 2,000 bonsai, antique bonsai pots, and suiseki stones in Qu Yi Garden. And among the 2000 bonsai in the garden, more than 1000 bonsai have already been developed to a presentable stage. While there are bonsai of many different styles/schools in Qu Yi Garden, bonsai of Lingnan style take up the majority in the Wu’s gallery.

For more photos, please visit the album of Qu Yi Garden in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

There are also a suiseki stone gallery and large gallery of antique bonsai pots in Qu Yi Garden. I will put up photos taken in those gallery as soon as I can. Please hang on! Happy Bonsai!!

For more photos, please visit the album of Suiseki Exhibition in 2010 GZ Int’l Bonsai Invitation Exhibition in Happy Bonsai Gallery.

Suiseki Stone – 孔雀石 (Malachite)
Title – 人與自然 (Direct Translation: Men and Nature)

All the suiseki stones presented in the suiseki exhibition had very beautiful daiza. Not only was the wood base carefully carved to the details of the stone, it also integrated closely to the theme in such an harmony. How could one not love suiseki after seeing all these beautiful work of nature together with such skillful craftsmanship!

Suiseki Stone – 黄蜡石 (Chrismatite)
Title – 風山水起 (Meaning: Things will become striking, extraordinary)

Suiseki Stone – 青花石 (Don’t know the stone type in English, could anyone help?)
Title – 美人魚 (Literal Meaning: Mermaid)

Suiseki Stone – 紅壁玉 (Don’t know the stone type in English too, could anyone help?)
Title – 母子情 (Literal Meaning: Love of Mother and Child)

Suiseki Stone – 戈壁石組合
Title – 守望家園 (Literal Meaning: Guarding the Family)

Very tiny these figurines are.  Yet, nevertheless, these full-of-details figurines haven’t failed to meet our expectation and bring in life and vivid scenes in our bonsai.

Traditional Chinese figurines always look great in penjing

For more photos of the 1st Institute of Lingnan Penjing Competition, you can visit Happy Bonsai Gallery.

Because of an important appointment on the same day, I couldn’t attend the whole event but only the setup stage of the competition.  I missed not only the competition winner announcement, but also the pot-luck style luncheon afterward.  That’s too bad for me

This beautiful piece is made by Teacher Wong.  Teacher Wong calls this type of penjing “瓶景”, and I call it “penjing-in-a-bottle”.

This is my penjing-in-a-bottle, titled “The Adventure of Wherever Door – The World inside the Goldfish”.

You can find more information about the blue creature in my penjing (it’s called Doraemon by the way) in this post – Modern Bonsai – Doraemon Bonsai.

For more photos of the 1st Institute of Lingnan Penjing Competition, you can visit Happy Bonsai Gallery.

And Chinese clay figurine itself is a valuable, antiquated folk art in China. Every Chinese figurine is handmade; kneaded and colored by hands. The art of Chinese clay figurine can be dated back to the Neolithic Period. However, it was not until the Ming and Qing dynasties that the clay figurine had been substantially produced and became one of the main artworks in the mass’s cultural life.

In last month’s Guangzhou International Bonsai Invitation Exhibition, while I was admiring the beautiful bonsai trees displayed in the bonsai pots, I also noticed and very much appreciated the way many bonsai artists used Chinese figurines in their bonsai to enhance the power and strength of their bonsai trees, as well as to create a more balanced, lively scene.

Here, let me share with you some Chinese figurines are used in some penjing in the bonsai exhibition.