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Bonsai, one of China's outstanding traditional arts, is a work of art that uses plants and rocks as the basic materials to express the natural landscape in a pot, and is known as "three-dimensional painting" and "silent poetry". Sichuan bonsai is one of the important genres, which is well-known for its twisted trunks and majestic rocks. In 2011, the "Sichuan Bonsai Technique" was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage list in China.
It's hard to imagine that the twisty and colorful Sichuan bonsai can come from the hands of a foreigner, and today I will meet a Canadian who loves Sichuan bonsai, and his love for bonsai is not just talking.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: My name is Chad Sinclair, and my Chinese name is White Bear. Chuanpai bonsai is actually the most special bonsai styling for me, there are many bends and turns, and many trees are shaped like dragons. It's like our life, it's full of ups and downs, it's like a roller coaster, it's like a roller coaster, it's fun, and I think it's very interesting.
By chance at the age of 9, Chad was introduced to bonsai for the first time with his grandmother, and was immediately attracted by this art.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: I have been in China for more than 20 years, and Chinese culture seems to me to be very unique, very beautiful, broad and profound, and has a long history. For me, the only way to learn bonsai is to come to China, there is no one in my hometown to teach how to make bonsai, and I really want to understand how it developed. To be honest, I didn't plan to settle in China at first, I just wanted to come and learn bonsai and then go back to China, but the problem is, I came and fell in love with Chengdu.
Chad stayed in Sichuan, where he set up his own bonsai courtyard in Chongzhou, one of the birthplaces of the Sichuan style of bonsai. In his small courtyard, the C position is firmly occupied by bamboo bonsai.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: Sichuan-style bamboo bonsai mimics the bamboo sea landscape of Sichuan Province, and people will use bamboo to make these beautiful landscapes. To make bonsai, you have to learn to balance, balance yin and yang, and when placing them, they must all match each other to achieve harmony, and have that feeling and artistic conception.
During his breaks, Chad often interacts with local bonsai craftsmen and bonsai masters to learn how to prune bonsai.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: How to prune and adjust the main part of Sichuan bonsai is actually passed down from generation to generation. You can see that all generations have cherished bonsai and they still keep the tradition alive. When we bring bonsai to other countries for everyone to experience, it opens the "door" and allows the cultures of different countries to blend with each other.
Chad said that making a bamboo Sichuan bonsai reminded him of the bamboo grove behind his grandmother's house in Vancouver.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: If my grandmother were still alive, she would have wanted to come here and stay here when she saw the sight. Bonsai also reminds me of my hometown of Canada, which actually connects the two countries, which is very important to me.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: I'm not a very patient person, but you have to be patient when you do bonsai, because some trees don't grow that fast, you can't pick up seedlings to grow, you can't put all the elements together, and in the summer, if you do that, the bonsai will die. There is also painting, which sometimes takes several weeks to polish. I've grown into a better version of myself since I came to China, I'm still not patient enough, but it's much better.
For Chad, his love for bonsai not only changed his life, but also opened the "treasure chest" of Chinese culture.
Bonsai artist Chad Sinclair: Cats chasing butterflies (homonym "elderly") means health and longevity.
Chad said that there are many beautiful meanings in traditional Chinese culture, and he specially painted this work to give it to his mother in Canada. On the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, he also sent special blessings for the New Year.
Bonsai Artist Chad Sinclair: On the occasion of the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, I wish you all a happy and prosperous Year of the Dragon.