From a Chinese bonsai enthusiast to a master of the art, Canadian Chad Sinclair has spent 21 years in China pursuing his passion for the country's traditional aesthetics.
Chinese bonsai, or penjing, is the ancient art of creating artistically formed trees, plants and landscapes in miniature. Sichuan-style penjing, renowned for its gnarled, picturesque tree trunks and imposing rock formations, stands as a significant school of the art form. In 2011, it was included in China's third list of national intangible cultural heritage.
Sinclair's interest in penjing began as a little boy on a tour of a Chinese Buddhist temple in Canada. He had no idea that his admiration would lead him to China, nor that he would become a promotional ambassador of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 held in Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
In 2003, Sinclair had his first encounter with genuine Sichuan-style penjing in Chengdu's Baihuatan Park.
"Twenty-one years ago, when I first came to Chengdu, this is the first place that I went to. And this is actually one of the trees that was there still, twenty-one years ago, this old pine. And it's been in the same location. I can really feel the age on this one," he said.
Years later, Sinclair became a professor of penjing and has developed his own understanding of the Chinese art.
"The twists and turns and ups and downs symbolize the way our life is. It's never an easy thing. We have good days and bad days," he said.
As Sinclair delved deeper into the creation of his own Sichuan-inspired penjing, the Canadian man also discovered an interest in Chinese painting, and brush drawing with Chinese friends has become an important part of his routine.
"I wanted to use a lot of emptiness as well as what I had. I just wanted to see if I could get a nice feel and some balance to it," Sinclair explained after finishing a painting that features wispy clouds, verdant mountain ranges and leisurely anglers.
In creating his work, Sinclair says the inspiration actually comes from his daily life in Chengdu. The serene and unhurried lifestyle of the city people has left a lasting impression on him over the past two decades.
Like many Chengdu residents, he also enjoys drinking tea, savoring the fragrance as well as the tea culture and meaning behind the leaves.
Over the years, Sinclair has often spoken to his friends from home about the fulfilling life he has in Sichuan, where he has witnessed the city's transformation and modernization, as well as its growing connectivity with the rest of China through convenient highways, high-speed rail, and other transportation.
"It's a booming country. It's growing so fast. I love it here. To go anywhere, it's quite easy now. Whereas 20 years ago, to get anywhere was quite difficult. And so people come here and a lot of times they will just want to stay like how I did it. I was only going to stay for a few years. And I am still here after 20 years," he said.
21-year journey turns Canadian enthusiast into master of Chinese bonsai
