TimIAm
Yamadori
I have a reasonable collection of Chinese bonsai books passed on from my father in law, some from the eighties which have some very different styles of trees. For anyone interested in modern Chinese penjing / bonsai there is a monthly magazine published in China called 花木盆景-盆景赏石 which has been around for at least 20 years that I'm aware of. The great thing about these magazines is they also cover international shows, so a very broad perspective. I saw my first Walter Pall tree inside this magazine as well as some of the Florida crew in Epcot displays.
There are many modern books published in China which go over the various styles, as expected each of the lists are not definitive. There are certainly regional styles and differences which are not covered by those standard styles. I have a very good book published in 2009 which lists 20 penjing syles and then 8 major regional styles and 5 minor regional styles along with pictures. My wife's hometown is one of the 8 major styles characterised by round dome topped trees and twisted and loosely styled lower branches. A large collection of over 500 trees from the area can be viewed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Hill,_Suzhou 苏州虎丘万景山庄
My FIL before his passing had some trees that he personally cared for nearly 50 years. In his last couple of years I had the privilege of working on his trees when I would visit and he was no longer able to care for them. We had to pass these to a friend as they couldn't be brought into Australia. He showed me how he would create the circling at the top of the tree by wiring the leader flat and in a circle. Then side shoots from this circle would be shaped into the dome top that is common with the Suzhou style.
I agree with what @rockm said about bonsai and penjing being a very fluid line. In China you have everything from large single trees, multi-tree, figurines, rock plantings etc, all sitting under the umbrella of penjing. The English borrowed word penjing doesn't encompass what 盆景 means in China.
It is quite common in China to see a household with a flowering plum tree or some other tree in a pot; a lot of clip and grow, but you can still feel how this old tradition continues to be maintained.
In Australia we have the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection in our capital city. On this page you can even take 3D tour https://www.nationalarboretum.act.g...al-bonsai-and-penjing-collection-of-australia (search for "3D virtual tour" on the page).
There are many modern books published in China which go over the various styles, as expected each of the lists are not definitive. There are certainly regional styles and differences which are not covered by those standard styles. I have a very good book published in 2009 which lists 20 penjing syles and then 8 major regional styles and 5 minor regional styles along with pictures. My wife's hometown is one of the 8 major styles characterised by round dome topped trees and twisted and loosely styled lower branches. A large collection of over 500 trees from the area can be viewed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Hill,_Suzhou 苏州虎丘万景山庄
My FIL before his passing had some trees that he personally cared for nearly 50 years. In his last couple of years I had the privilege of working on his trees when I would visit and he was no longer able to care for them. We had to pass these to a friend as they couldn't be brought into Australia. He showed me how he would create the circling at the top of the tree by wiring the leader flat and in a circle. Then side shoots from this circle would be shaped into the dome top that is common with the Suzhou style.
I agree with what @rockm said about bonsai and penjing being a very fluid line. In China you have everything from large single trees, multi-tree, figurines, rock plantings etc, all sitting under the umbrella of penjing. The English borrowed word penjing doesn't encompass what 盆景 means in China.
It is quite common in China to see a household with a flowering plum tree or some other tree in a pot; a lot of clip and grow, but you can still feel how this old tradition continues to be maintained.
In Australia we have the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection in our capital city. On this page you can even take 3D tour https://www.nationalarboretum.act.g...al-bonsai-and-penjing-collection-of-australia (search for "3D virtual tour" on the page).
