Page 3 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2013Q3

President’s Message

his is an exciting year for bonsai and stone enthusiasts
worldwide. The quality of trees and stones on display at
Tvarious major venues in different regions of the world is
excellent, showing a steady improvement year after year. Our
BCI convention was a grand affair thanks to the support we
received from our colleagues at the Slender West Lake Scenic
Area and from the City of Yangzhou. Soon after the conven-
tion, BCI published its 50th anniversary photo book of the
50 best trees and the 50 best stones submitted to our global
photo contest. Thanks to the efforts of members of the BCI
board and to many of our members, we are moving forward
with plans to further improve our services to our members
and to promoting bonsai and stone appreciation. We owe a great debt of thanks to the level of organi-
First, some words about our recent convention. Yangzhou zation and planning that went into our convention in
city officials informed me that 3,000 Chinese and 300 for-
eign visitors attended the convention. The combination of the China. Mr. Zhao Qingquan worked with a committee
convention facilities at beautiful Slender West Lake Scenic for four years in planning this event. Zhao’s leadership
West location and nearly ideal weather resulted in a larger and commitment to our convention was exemplary.
number of visitors than anticipated. So many visitors wanted
to see the distinguished slate of demonstrators that they nearly
overwhelmed the stage where the demonstrations were being haven’t already ordered your copy, please do so before all the
held. It was great to see so many people interested in seeing copies are sold. We do not anticipate printing a second edi-
how superior bonsai are made. We owe a great debt of thanks tion, so the next few months may be your only opportunity
to the level of organization and planning that went into our to acquire this important book.
convention. Mr. Zhao Qingquan worked with a committee It is not too early to start planning to attend the BCI 2014
for four years in planning this event. Zhao’s leadership and convention that will be held on the Gold Coast in northeast-
commitment to our convention was exemplary. ern Australia. This will be another great convention and al-
BCI has a limited presence in China; however, one of the out- low attendees to combine the convention with a vacation in
comes of our convention was an agreement between BCI and Australia or nearby New Zealand. Opportunities like this do
the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture, the official not happen often, so I urge our members to seriously consider
organization responsible for oversight of penjing hobbyists attending our next convention. Details about the convention,
in China, to promote BCI in China. Articles from our BCI including registration forms, can be found on the BCI website
magazine will be translated and published in China and a at bonsai-bci.com.
BCI-China membership group will be formed, one that will Finally, I want to encourage you to visit and support the pub-
conform to Chinese law. We expect to have many new BCI lic institutions, mainly botanical gardens and parks that have
followers in China as a result of this new cooperative effort. bonsai and penjing collections on display. These institutions
Immediately after the convention, a hardy group of 56 people located in many countries deserve and need our support. Re-
left Yangzhou on a week-long tour that took the group to dif- cently, the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) in Washington,
ferent scenic areas, historic locations, and, of course to sev- D.C., home to the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, is
eral fine collections of penjing. This included a visit to the closing to the public three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday
outstanding collection at Tiger Hill in Suzhou and the collec- and Thursday) due to continued budget cuts. This museum
tion at Huangshan City. The highlight of the tour was the two is the largest, oldest, and one of the finest in North America.
days spent high in Mount Huang (Yellow Mountains). Hiking The USNA has experienced several budget cuts in recent years
the up and down paths took us to one incredible vista after and staff positions have been eliminated. These institutions
another. Seeing the pine trees growing in the crevices of the need our support. They are the front line of developing an
steeply rising peaks was inspiring. It was easy to understand awareness of bonsai and related art forms among the general
how these sheer mountain sides and their clinging pines led public. For many people, seeing bonsai and penjing at these
to the development of the literati style. Everyone on the tour institutions is often their first exposure to the art form we
had an experience of a lifetime. cherish. BCI regrets this partial closure and we hope
Initial reactions to our new BCI book, Best of BCI: 50 Stones, that this is a temporary measure.
50 Trees, 50 Years, has been very positive. The book was
published in May and our publisher began shipping cop- Tom Elias, President grow with us
ies in early June. We sold nearly 50% of the print run in the
first month. This is an incredible response, especially con- Bonsai Clubs International YEARS
sidering the state of hard copy books produced today. If you

July/August/September 2013 | BCI | 1