The art of penjing

The art of penjing, a word that literally means "landscape in a pot", developped primarily during the Tang dynasty (618-907), although documents show that it existed as early as the 2^nd century. These trees, whose growth has been controlled so that they are no taller than 10 to 150 cm (4 to 59 inches), may have straight, twisted or protuberant trunks; their branches may be pruned on different levels or cascade downward.

Many of the trees in the Montréal Botanical Garden's collection of penjings were donated by the City of Shanghai during the Floralies internationales held in Montréal in 1980.

By pruning branches and roots to produce these dwarf trees, the artist/gardener was attempting to create a tiny reflection on nature. He sought to reproduce hardiness and perenniality, as well as the elegance and harmony of nature. The miniaturization of a tree or a landscape concentrates the essence of the tree, of nature, by eliminating all superfluity. Like garden landscaping, the fashioning of penjing was inspired by the artistic rules of traditional painting.