Page 8 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2013Q4

Top; Ricky Wu can often be
seen in Tracy Garden pruning
his trees. He is one of the few
major collectors who is also an
accomplished stylist.
Middle; Ricky examining one
of his many antique pots that
were on display in Liu Hua Hu
Garden in Guangzhou in 2012.
Bottom left; Display of some
of his antique pots at Tracy
Garden.
Right; This beautiful literati
style penjing was made
from Raphiolepis indica and
measures 128 x 75 x 45 cm.

Twenty-five years ago, Ng was working in the construction business in Wuhan,
China and happened to visit the private penjing garden of Shen Ho Kan. Ng was
very impressed with Shen’s collection of trees and ended up studying the art form
with Shen’s guidance. He began buying trees and keeping them on a roof top, while
also buying many books to study and improve his techniques. His first trees were
pines, then he expanded to shimpaku junipers. At first, Ng learned Japanese styling
techniques, but later found that the Lingnan style was more pleasant and closer to
his personal feelings. He has feelings for his trees beyond their appearance due
to his study of Chinese culture, especially poems, paintings, and Chinese
gardens. Some of his early efforts focused on landscape penjing, but he
steadily moved towards individual trees. He has remained humble
throughout his life, even as his knowledge of Chinese arts and his
skills as a penjing artist have grown to a masters’ level.
Ng Shing Fat moved to Hong Kong and expanded his construc-
tion company. As his company prospered, he was able to expand
his interest in penjing and collecting antique pots. Space is very

6 | BCI | October/November/December 2013