Chinese Bonsai (called Penzai or Penjing in Chinese), inspired by nature, originated in China around 1,300 years ago. It is an art of designing miniature trees or flowers in a shallow pot or container. Chinese Bonsai can be classified into several groups according to their sizes, places of origin, and different art styles. In the ancient time, bonsai was practiced only by the elites as a symbol of social status.

Chinese Bonsai encourages plants to flow in a natural way. The original function of Bonsai is not just a kind of decoration or to re-create nature in a pot, but to actually capture the spirit of Feng Shui. Old Chinese think that the universe has two sides of cosmic energy, which is called the Yin and the Yang, and plants are divided into the Yin and the Yang. According to their needs, home owners choose bonsai plants to make up the balance of the house.

Bonsai producing areas throughout China have their own genres of designing bonsai. Famous bonsai producers in China include the Shanghai Botanic Gardens with over 150 Bonsai gardens, Suzhou which has the Humble Administrators Garden (listed as a World Heritage Site), and Hangzhou Botanic Garden which is famous for its two-and-a-half acre Bonsai garden where it grows 3,500 Bonsai plants.

Choosing a good bonsai tree is not that simple. For example, the shape and movement of the Bonsai’s trunk can determine the species. The branches on the lower portion of the tree should be thick and the branches on the upper portion of the tree should be thin. The leaves of the tree can indicate a lot about the health of the tree.