Bonsai Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The project began in the Northern Song dynasty, developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and reached maturity in the twentieth century.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Rugao bonsai is distributed in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province. Using the locally grown small-leaf podocarpus as its material, and passing through process steps such as potting, binding and wiring (panza), and arranging foliage pads (paipian), followed by long periods of “branch pressing” and “nurturing”, it forms a plant-modeling art in an “S” shape; it is one of the representatives of the Chinese bonsai craft. Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, lies in the beautiful and fertile Yangtze River Delta, and it was within these uniquely endowed human-geographic conditions and cultural atmosphere that Rugao bonsai gradually reached maturity. Rugao bonsai is commonly known as “two and a half bends” (liang wan ban): the main trunk is shaped in an “S” curve, with three foliage pads on the left, three on the right, and three at the back, each set growing in harmonious alternation. In making, the main trunk is chosen for its tree form and vigor and fixed with palm-fiber binding into two and a half bends — the so-called “beauty's waist”; branches are selected and foliage pads arranged to meet the requirement of three shaded (yin) pads, three sunlit (yang) pads, three back pads, and one top pad. The flat pads are bound from top to bottom, with proper curvature, even distribution, and clear layering; at the sunlit (yang) pads the bowed back should be short, at the shaded (yin) pads the inner bow should be long, the back pads select small twigs, and overall fullness is preferred. Its modeling characteristics are expressed mainly in the skillful treatment of the “gnarled roots”, the binding of the “skeleton”, and the embroidery-fine “cloud pads”. The display arrangements of Rugao bonsai are quite distinctive; commonly the works are set out in pairs, or combined in odd numbers such as 3, 5, 7, or 9. Rugao bonsai merges aesthetics with the Yi learning (the Book of Changes); its essential core is the dividing line of the yin-yang fish of the Daoist taiji diagram. The three pads on the left are the three yin pads, and the three on the right the three yang pads, together forming six segments; the three back pads are slightly larger, signifying “three connected lines” — that is, Qian being three connected lines and Kun six segments, corresponding to the hexagrams Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth). The top pad is a round crown, called heaven, while the plant rooted in the soil of the basin is called earth; the full and rounded periphery interprets the conceptual characteristic of harmony and unity between humanity and nature. The technique relies on transmission between generations within families, from father to son. With its fantastically changing plant forms and profound cultural connotation, Rugao bonsai has been loved by people throughout the ages; the populace uses it to beautify the environment, cultivate the temperament, and continually strengthen cultural identity. The project embodies the aesthetic interests of the bonsai artists and their philosophical reflections on the exploration of life.
Archival Record of the Process Steps
Rugao bonsai is distributed in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province. Using the locally grown small-leaf podocarpus as its material, and passing through process steps such as potting, binding and wiring (panza), and arranging foliage pads (paipian), followed by long periods of “branch pressing” and “nurturing”, it forms a plant-modeling art in an “S” shape; it is one of the representatives of the Chinese bonsai craft.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Rugao bonsai is distributed throughout Rugao City, Jiangsu Province, with the flower-and-tree nurseries and farm seedling beds of townships such as Rucheng, Dingyan, and Baipu serving as the principal production sites. Rugao lies on the northern wing of the Yangtze River Delta, beside the river and facing the sea; its climate with distinct seasons and its soil suited to raising seedlings provide the conditions for the “two-and-a-half-bends” form of Rugao bonsai, which takes the small-leaf podocarpus as its principal tree material.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Bonsai Craftsmanship · Bonsai Craftsmanship · Bonsai Craftsmanship · Bonsai Craftsmanship · Bonsai Craftsmanship · Bonsai Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Zhu family and the Hua family are the representative transmission lineages of Rugao bonsai family inheritance; the transmission of both lineages can be traced back to as early as the Qing dynasty. Existing bonsai from different eras also possess precious value as cultural relics, reflecting the social outlook of particular historical periods and corroborating traces of the historical and cultural development of the Rugao region.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Zhao Qingquan 03-1301
- Cao Jide 05-2701
- Zhu Zhenqing 05-2702
- Hong Guanqing 05-2703
- Shen Baiping
- Wang Rusheng
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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