In penjing, trees and landscapes are often shown in miniature and suggest a place in nature. They are sometimes called “three-dimensional paintings” (Yunhua, 1987).

The Chinese art form of penjing is a paradigm of this trend. Penjing arrived in Japan with other Chinese arts, then evolved into the more highly codified geometric and controlled art form of Japanese bonsai.

A well-trained bonsai or penjing specimen should give the impression of being a tree, not a shrub. Trees have well-defined foliage layers with open areas between them, while shrubs are masses of foliage …

Saikei are the newer and smaller Japanese versions of penjing. These are made with rocks, small plants/groundcovers, and underdeveloped trees (which could someday become independently …

SOME OF THE WORLD'S PERMANENT BONSAI / PENJING COLLECTIONS Compiled by Robert J. Baran last updated 11/02/2025

The study seeks to interpret the plant species, design aesthetics, and aesthetic sentiments of Chinese penjing under indigenous philosophies. It aims to reveal the sensibilities and intuitive thoughts of …

One thing that we realized was that we can use the dwarfing properties of bonsai and penjing to preserve germ plasm for those species that might not grow within the collections proper.