Ancient Famous Trees |
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Rugao style bonsai art, being regarded as one of the seven major styles of the China bonsai arts by National Bonsai Association in 1983, is based mainly on crooking branches and assisted by pruning, which, is called “Zhajing”. It draws materials from Chinese juniper, podocarpus, five-leaved pine, yew, boxtree, serissa serissoide etc. and makes new shapes according to their original appearance.
Now Rugao boasts some bonsai treasures of the Song Dynasty as the following: Three basins of 900-year-old cypresses, which were the heritage of Huyuan, a famous educator in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and they are named as “Canopy on Milu Deer”, “Standing Crane with Advanced Age”, ”Dragon Crossing Clouds” and ”Dragon Crossing Clouds” was once awarded top-grade in National Bonsai Contest in 1985; “Canopy on Milu Deer” was awarded prize of honor in Jiangsu Provincial Bonsai Exhibition in 1987.At present, there are well-preserved in the People’s Park. A trunk of ancient juniper, floor bonsai, bent 2.5 circles, planted by Wen Zhao Emperor of the Song Dynasty，over 800 years old and now it is in the west part of the Water Bright Tower. A basin of ancient prickle pine, named “dragons rising and tigers leaping” (means a scene of bustling activity), relic of Wang Zhiyan’s Wen Garden during the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty and is now preserved in the People’s Park, It has obtained a number of prizes such as the Excellent Bonsai in 1982Jiangsu Bonsai Exhibition, first-rank bonsai in1983 Nantong Bonsai Exhibition, calendar cover of China International Travel Agency in 1984 and honor prize of Jiangsu Bonsai Exhibition in 1987 .etc. Four basins of gigantic five-leave pine, all enjoying over 200 years old, with the height of 1.8M and the canopy of 2M in the diameter respectively, all of these are now reserved in the city Martyrs’ Cemetery. A basin of five-leave pine, over 130 years old, made by Chu Youshan, the master of horticulture. There were originally four pines of it’s kind made by the man, called “4 sisters”, now only left one named “verdant back to South Mountain ” in the city People’s Park, it once won the third place of China Bonsai Exhibition in 1985. A basin of Damnacamthus Indicus, named “deep place in the tree shade”, now preserved in the Green Garden. One basin of Sageretia，named by “”feast one’s eyes on the fairest in the world of men” , 180 years old, made by Green Garden, once achieved gold medal of the Osaka International Flowers Fair in 1990.
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