Passion in the palm of your hand

The art of “placement” from miniature items. Photo: GIA KHÁNH

Anyone who has ever approached the art of bonsai will understand that "the profession is also very elaborate". Not satisfied, the artisans like to "increase the difficulty" by reducing the size of the tree. Thus, mini and super mini bonsai were born. "Normal or large bonsai trees have the advantage of being easy to care for and shape, but are difficult to transport. On the contrary, mini trees are very easy to transport, but extremely difficult to care for. Just imagine, they are bonsai trees in the shape of ancient trees, but fragile like newborn babies. If you "forget" to care for them for just one day, they will wither", Mr. Nguyen Dang (49 years old), living in Long Xuyen ward, began the story.

Miniature trees are skillfully grafted from normal bonsai. But strangely, when planted in a tiny pot, the tree also shrinks, the leaves are tiny, but still has the standard proportions: big roots, mature veins, moss covered... Mr. Dang explains, the tree will never grow big because it is grown in a mini pot, the nutrients in the pot "control" the growth of the tree. In return, if a large tree takes 8 - 10 years to complete its shape, a mini tree only needs 2 - 3 years. Trees with a size of 10 - 30cm will be classified as mini. Below this size are considered super mini.

Experts believe that growing a miniature tree with a survival rate of 30-50% is considered a success. There is no general answer or formula, each player needs to carefully study the characteristics of the tree, find many ways to keep the humidity as high as possible for them. Once they have grown and cared for it, they will think about showing it off at professional meetings, and about exchanging and exchanging. Mr. Dang shared: “Mainly, we meet to satisfy our passion and exchange, the economy is only secondary. In offline meetings like this, everyone brings out their VIP and “war” goods to display. If they are pleasing to the eye, they agree to share, sometimes the money from selling the tree is just enough to drink coffee. But there are also trees that are exchanged for millions or tens of millions of dong.”

Among the group of people who play with bonsai of all kinds, Mr. Nguyen Cong Tram (53 years old), living in Binh Duc ward, is a veteran, having been attached to his garden for decades. Growing and selling bonsai helps him maintain his passion for caring for and shaping trees in general, and bonsai in particular. Last year, he saw a mai chieu thuy tree with large leaves and a long canopy, over 10 years old. What prompted him to buy a tiny bonsai pot for 2 million VND was the tree's mutant nature. “We evaluate trees using the criteria of “ancient - strange - beautiful”. “Ancient” is the age of the tree, “strange” is strange, unique, typically like the rough parts of this apricot tree. The base and each branch are all bumpy, looking very strange, only one in a thousand trees like this. “Beautiful” is the overall look, the tree creates a beautiful shape, attracting the viewer’s eyes. For me, the tree is not really complete, it needs 3 more years of care, at that time the tree can be sold for at least 20 million VND”, Mr. Tram analyzed.

It is impossible to play mini bonsai simply because the tree needs a pot. The value of the tree will increase if it is planted in a beautiful pot. Therefore, most bonsai players will understand and be interested in collections of tree pots, especially ceramic ones. As Mr. Dang said, they pursue the art of "placement". Whether the tree has a soul or not, how poetic the masterpiece is, depends largely on the way each person places it. A single bonsai tree has its own beauty, but if photographed with a small, pretty cup, it will produce a different, harmonious beauty. Just like that, players are always creative, feeling the flow of art never runs out.

That is also the reason why Mr. Dang has dozens of miniature ceramic collections. Every time he goes somewhere, or attends an offline hobby group, he always "looks around" and looks for things that fit in the palm of his hand. After decades of collecting, he has ceramic tea sets from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, England... They are only the size of a fingertip, but extremely sophisticated, sharp, and imbued with the identity of each country. Of course, their prices are not "mini" at all, in the millions. Even if you have money, you may not be able to buy them because they are no longer produced, not mass-produced, and become unique versions of themselves.

In the noisy space of the weekend coffee shop, I was afraid that the tiny art objects would be drowned out. But no, they still proudly appeared, admired by everyone from every angle. Anyone passing by the offline area would linger, ask questions, and take pictures. For Mr. Dang, Mr. Tram and those who participate in the hobby, just that alone makes them very happy. Art is breathed into the miniature world , then spread to the larger world, adding a little poetry to life.

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/dam-me-trong-long-ban-tay-a461750.html