Tongpai bonsai

The distinctive feature of the general bonsai is that it is made of Podocarpus aculeatus (commonly known as Podocarpus pectinatus) and is tied into a pattern of "two bends and a half", that is, the trunk is climbed into two bends and a half, and there are three main branches on each bend, and each branch is tied into a flat piece like a cloud. It looks like a lion, dignified and steady, like a three-dimensional painting, which is deeply loved by the people (Rugao). The cultivation of Rugao bonsai has a long history and began in the Song Dynasty. At present, the People's Park contains the ancient cypress bonsai "Dragon Crossing the Cloud", a treasure left by the Northern Song Dynasty educator Hu Yuan. Its "antlers" are exposed, old and tall. There is a floor-to-ceiling bonsai "Ancient Castanopsis carlesii" in the Shuihui Garden, which is said to have been planted by Zeng Wenzhao and Zeng Zhaogong in the Southern Song Dynasty. The explosion age has exceeded eight, and the tree is still vigorous. Rugao flower pot art was popular among the people in the Ming Dynasty. According to "Rugao County Records" in the year of Gengwu, Qianlong, Qing Dynasty, it is recorded that "tomorrow's opening ceremony will make Li Zhongchun, suitable for the four places, teach the people art and plant flowers and trees". The existing "Longteng Tiger Leaping" bonsai with needles and cypresses in People's Park is a treasure preserved in the Ming Dynasty. For hundreds of years, Rugao bonsai techniques have been passed down from generation to generation, forming a unique "Rupai" bonsai, which is one of the seven major schools of bonsai in China. Rugao bonsai is made of evergreen pine, cypress, elm, yellow poplar and other materials, mainly coiled and trimmed, with fine craftsmanship, and the shape is mostly "two bends and a half", which can be composed of "cloud head", "rain foot" and "beauty waist", with clear, strange, ancient and simple posture. Its representative works, Podocarpus Quelissima, Rhododendron with five treasures and green beads, In the snow with double petals and Boxwood with white skin, are all original treasures in Rugao County. A pair of giant coniferous bonsai in Fang Chen in front of Chairman Mao Memorial Hall are products of our city. Since the reform and opening up, Rugao bonsai production has entered a new historical stage. At present, there are more than 200 nursery gardens, more than 20 flower towns and villages, more than 10,000 specialized households, with a total area of nearly 20,000 mu and more than 2,000 varieties of flowers and trees. In the national bonsai appraisal in 1985, Rugao Cooper bonsai "Dragon Crossing the Cloud" won the first prize, and bonsai "Two Bends and a Half" and "Cangfu Nanshan" won the second prize.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)