Canadian artist's bonsai studio sparks new growth in Sichuan's rural industries

China

Canadian artist's bonsai studio sparks new growth in Sichuan's rural industries

2026-08-18 19:33 Last Updated At：08-20 11:58

A Canadian artist's bonsai studio has become a popular tourist attraction this summer in Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province, southwest China, boosting the local bonsai trade and contributing to rural revitalization.

Bonsai, the art of creating miniature natural landscapes by arranging soil, stones, moss, and plants on a tray, has deep cultural roots in Chongzhou.

In 2019, Canadian artist Chad Sinclair rented a small courtyard and launched his own bonsai studio in the city. Sinclair has developed a unique bonsai style, blending Western simplicity with the artistic essence of traditional Chinese design.

Small and lightweight, his bonsai works are popular, driving more than 300 local residents to switch to miniature bonsai cultivation and increasing each of their annual incomes by 50,000 yuan (about 7,415 U.S. dollars).

"It's great. It makes me feel like I'm helping the village out, since they've helped me out in a lot of ways. I'm somehow giving back to them. They're able to make a better living for themselves and a better life," said Sinclair.

Relying on Sichuan-style bonsai, Chongzhou has developed industries including bonsai cultivation and art study tours, extending the city's industrial chain from bonsai sales to rural tourism.

"We run multiple services such as catering, study tours, bonsai sales and bonsai DIY experiences, which have boosted our annual income to 180,000 to 200,000 yuan," said Guo Min, a local bonsai garden manager.

In 2025, Sinclair was honored as an Outstanding Talent for Rural Revitalization by local authorities, making him the first foreigner to receive this title.

"We will provide special subsidies for these selected rural talents, alongside policy support covering production, daily life, entrepreneurship and employment. Chongzhou has certified more than 200 rural revitalization talents," said Lu Jiao, a local official.

U.S. regulator opens probe into Tesla Cybercab self-certification

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla's certification that its new Cybercab meets all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

The probe, formally designated as an Audit Query, was opened on Sept. 3 and covers an estimated 1,000 Cybercab vehicles, according to an NHTSA investigation document made public on Friday. It will examine the process and technical data Tesla relied upon when certifying the Cybercab, as well as related issues. Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of Cybercab vehicles in Austin, Texas, on Thursday and notified the agency that it had certified the vehicles as compliant with all applicable FMVSS. Tesla also told the NHTSA that it plans to gradually expand commercial deployment of the Cybercab to include additional vehicles and locations.

The vehicles lack permanently attached conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel and mirrors, according to the NHTSA.

The agency said the inquiry will examine, among other issues, the extent to which Tesla's certification depended on determinations that certain FMVSS are inapplicable to the Cybercab.

In the United States, the NHTSA establishes vehicle performance requirements, while automakers must certify that their vehicles meet applicable standards before entering the U.S. market, subject to agency oversight to confirm compliance. The NHTSA said it conducts investigations when certified vehicles appear not to adhere to those requirements.