History of Penjing
After learning what penjing is, you’ll likely be curious to learn a bit more about its history. In this chapter, we’ll detail the origins of penjing and give an overview of its development and how it spread throughout the world.
When Did Penjing Start?
There is no exact date when the art form known as penjing began. However, the historical record does give some indication about how old it is. For example, archeologists once found a scroll from around 800 C.E. depicting penjing. However, this scroll indicates that the art was already developed as far back as 200 C.E. Other evidence suggests that penjing is even older, with the practice of creating small landscapes appearing to date to the first century C.E. whether that practice was known as penjing at the time or not.
Who Created Penjing?
Historians believe that the Daoist mystics were the first people in China to practice the art of Penjing. Those mystics used penjing as a way to depict the spiritual aspects of the natural world on a smaller scale. As penjing grew in popularity, it became a more common practice among monks of various religions, as well as wealthy aristocrats in China. The penjing practice then continued for many centuries, with writers and poets often immortalizing the beauty of this art through their words.
How Penjing Spread Outside of China
After growing in prevalence in China, penjing began to spread to other nations. Notably, penjing made its way to Japan, likely in the sixth century, where it began to change forms. Eventually, it developed into the Japanese art known as bonsai. Through that development, the Japanese version focused mainly on single miniature trees, rather than whole landscape scenes, and became associated with Zen Buddhism.
Europeans began to take note of penjing during the 1600s. However, it was not until 1806 when the English naturalist Sir Joseph Banks received a dwarf tree from the Canton region of China. Banks brought that tree back to Europe, causing gardeners and naturalists on that continent to begin studying penjing art.
Penjing in Modern Day
The ongoing practice of penjing has continued throughout the past centuries and remains prevalent to this day. Today, there are many gardens, exhibitions, and private collections that keep penjing alive. Although it may not be well known all throughout the world, the penjing tradition continues to thrive thanks to several associations and universities, mainly in China, that emphasize the importance of preserving this beautiful expression of Chinese culture.