The Most Beautiful Garden in China

When I was an apprentice, my master didn't tell me much. I was rarely allowed to use the pruners. I just did the menial tasks. To learn anything, I'd watch out of the corner of my eye and gradually assimilate the pruning techniques. About 100 kilometres from Shanghai lies the city of Suzhou. Because of its many canals, legend has it that Marco Polo dubbed it Venice of the East. But Suzhou is famous above all for its gardens. They're considered the most beautiful in China. Nine of these gardens are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Suzhou's classical gardens date back to the city's foundation in the 11th century. They were conceived and built under the influence of the spontaneous poetic style seen in traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Master gardeners from each dynasty adapted different techniques to simulate nature by skillfully using and adapting the limited space available. Suzhou's classical gardens are intended to be a microcosm of the natural world. They incorporate water, stones and plants. These landscaped ensembles of buildings, rocky formations, calligraphy, furniture and decorative elements are showcases of the most accomplished artistic achievements of the East Yangtze Delta region. A humble administrator's garden houses the region's finest bonsai collection. The art of bonsai was invented in China. It means tree in a pot. Originally an art of the elite, these miniature trees were intended as gifts. Suzhou's gardeners developed their own style which set a precedent. A style the Chinese call tree branch overhanging a cliff. Fumin Mao has been in charge of the Suzhou garden's bonsais for 40 years. We have to trim all these visible dry branches. This bonsai hasn't been pruned for years. The dead parts have to be removed. All of this is already dead, so I'm removing the bark. I've worked here for 40 years. When I started, some of these pines were the same size as they are now. If they don't grow more, it's because the pots restrict their growth. When you look at them though, you get a real impression of grandeur. My favorite is this Japanese pine. It's over 70 years old. The curve of its trunk looks very natural. You would never know we've worked on it. I've been fond of it from day one. It's really very pretty. I love it. It grows well. Next year we'll repot it. We'll give it more space so it can grow even better. We're taking this tree to our workshop to prune it. It's already returning to its natural state. Ready? Make sure the branches don't catch on the door. The branches are very long. They already resemble a tree. We absolutely have to cut them and stop them growing. But we also have to preserve the tree's original essence. Binding, or wiring, is a crucial technique for training and maintaining bonsais. By wrapping copper wire around the branches of a tree, you're able to bend them. It takes a few months before the branches set in their new position. The copper wire can then be removed. By watching the others work, you eventually figure it out. First you have to look at the plant from every angle to see which side needs pruning. Then you start by trimming the layers. They must all be flat. The branches at the base must grow toward the sun. I started out as a florist before coming here in 1976. This is where I learned to prune bonsais. Flowers and bonsais are not that different. In 1980, I started studying the art of pruning bonsais with my master. When you start, you first have to learn the basics. That is to say, how to remove weeds and repot the trees. It's a time when you watch the other gardeners discreetly to understand their pruning techniques. When I was an apprentice, my master didn't tell me much. I was rarely allowed to use the pruners. I just did the menial tasks. To learn anything, I'd watch out of the corner of my eye and gradually assimilate the pruning techniques. We're going to bind it now. Otherwise, it will grow straight and won't be at all pretty. Look at this Japanese pine. It looks fairly young. It could live another 30 years, a century even. I will be retiring soon, but it will probably be here for years to come.