This "Chinese Dragon" banyan tree bonsai is Li Zhiyong's proud work.
Mesh vase bonsai, making full use of dozens of roots that have to be woven over several years.
Banyan tree large bonsai
Small bonsai of ginseng fig
Ginseng banyan is a characteristic industry of Shaxi Town, Guleigang Economic Development Zone, Zhangzhou (formerly under the jurisdiction of Zhangpu County). There are more than 500 flower beds in the town, and the planting area of banyan trees exceeds 12,600 mu, driving 16,000 employees and an annual total output value of 160 million yuan. At present, the town is making full use of the advantages of "China's Banyan Tree Bonsai Town", as well as the brand-name effect of "Chinese Roots" and the newly registered "Shaxi Banyan Tree" brand, and driving rural revitalization through "Internet + company + farmer" and other means.
Back to the times to grow the industry
Zhangzhou is located in the south of Fujian, which is very suitable for the growth of banyan trees, and the counties under the city have been planted with banyan trees since ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, Zhangzhou Beiqi Ding Ru had a verse that "jasmine incense falls on the fence, and the banyan yin is in the lime". The Qing Kangxi edition of the Zhangzhou Fuzhi (漳州府志) records that "banyan trees... Its shade is ten, the branches are both leafy and luxuriant, the fine soft roots are hanging down like vines, and gradually the roots take root, or a plant has roots in four or five places, and the horizontal branches and neighboring trees are connected... Fuzhou is a famous city from the beginning to the end, but there are more and more between Zhangquan and Zhangquan. The Qing "Chronicle of Zhangpu County" also records: "Banyan tree, the shade is very large, because of its ability to accommodate things, so it is called a banyan tree." ”
Zhangpu was a famous calligrapher from the late Ming Dynasty, the official Shangshu and bingbu Shangshu Huang Daozhou once wrote the famous "Rong Song". Song Yun: "There is a Jia tree in the south, and the name is Rong... Evenly it is yin, the large one or dozens of acres, the rain and dew are hanging down, the plant is fighting, the small one is still hundreds of circles, the pedestrians are left cold, and the burden is forgotten..."
The "Zhangzhou Famous Products" compiled by the former Zhangzhou Municipal Fang Zhi Committee also further records: Zhangzhou bonsai has flourished since the Tang and Song dynasties and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, of which bonsai made of banyan trees is common, ingenious and far-reaching. Shaxi Town has red soil-based farmland, the soil layer is deep, the soil is loose and fertile, rich in organic matter, and rich in wind and fly sand resources, which is the superior nutrient soil for cultivating "ginseng fig" (fig potato). At the same time, the climate is mild, it belongs to the oceanic climate, which is suitable for the rapid growth of banyan tree gas roots, and has good geographical conditions and natural ecological environment. Shaxi cultivation banyan tree bonsai has a long history, the banyan technology has been passed down from generation to generation, and the banyan tree bonsai of local characteristic varieties such as "root type", "air root type" and "stump type" has been cultivated, which is suitable for indoor decoration, courtyard design, square and roadside planting and ornamentation.
"In the early days, villagers went to the wild to collect wild banyan roots, artificially cultivated and sold." Li Jingquan, president of the Shaxi Banyan Tree Association and general manager of Yiquan Garden Company, said that later, villagers began to plant and cultivate banyan saplings in front of and behind the house, and gradually, the banyan tree bonsai industry became a pillar industry in Shaxi.
The 2016 edition of the "Chronicle of Zhangpu County" also records that in 1995, villagers in Gaolin, Zhuangqian, Gaoshan and other villages in Shaxi Town collected local banyan tree seeds to raise seedlings, transplanted plastic bags, and cultivated root blocks to grow to 500 grams and then sold them in pots. In 1998, the whole town began to promote, and gradually formed a characteristic advantageous product. In the same year, Shaxi Town's root potted ginseng banyan and stump landscape trees formed a scale and expanded to the surrounding villages and towns.
Build a brand and create an ecology
After the Expressway Shenhai Line to Guleixia Expressway, drive along the Provincial Highway Zhangdong Line towards the direction of Yunxiao, surrounded by banyan trees on both sides of the road, and connected into a ten-mile green corridor. Behind the front and back of each house, the large and small banyan tree bonsai styles are complete, the height is different, and the shapes are different, just like entering a banyan tree garden. On the highway, from time to time, you can see a cart of banyan tree bonsai transported to various places.
In the Yongxin Horticultural Farm in Gaoshan Village, Shaxi Town, the owner Li Zhiyong is holding scissors to prune a delicate banyan tree bonsai. "I worked as a carpenter when I was young, and then I saw that some people in the village planted banyan trees with good benefits, so I changed my profession." Li Zhiyong said with a smile that after 24 years of development, he has now founded a horticultural company to plant more than 10 acres of banyan saplings, with annual sales of millions of yuan.
Li Jingquan said that Shaxi Town has a tropical monsoon climate, which is very beneficial to the growth and development of banyan trees. Since the reform and opening up, the cultivation of banyan tree seedlings and the cultivation of banyan tree bonsai have quietly emerged, becoming a promising industry for the rich people.
It is understood that the characteristic of Shaxi is the "ginseng banyan tree", which is cultivated by the real seedlings of the fine-leaved banyan tree, and the shape of the trunk resembles a humanoid figure that is watching.
Hong Wensheng, the second-level director of Shaxi Town in Guleigang Economic Development Zone and in charge of rural revitalization, said that after 43 years of development, the banyan tree industry in Shaxi now has more than 500 flower beds and a banyan tree planting area of more than 12,600 mu. In 2000, Shaxi Town was awarded the title of "The Hometown of Chinese Banyan Tree Bonsai" by the State Forestry Administration and the China Flower Association, and in 2008, Shaxi Town was rated as a professional flower township by Zhangzhou City. Shaxi banyan tree bonsai enjoys "Fujian Famous Brand Products", "Zhangzhou Top Ten Famous Flowers and Fruits" and "Origin Mark" and other "golden signboard", in 2011 successfully declared the registration of "Shaxi Banyan Tree" national geographical indication, all kinds of banyan tree products are exported to South Korea, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and other 41 countries and regions in the world, last year's output value reached 167 million yuan. Driven by the banyan tree bonsai industry in Shaxi, many villagers can have an income of more than 100,000 yuan a year.
At present, Shaxi Town is making full use of the advantages of "China's Banyan Tree Bonsai Town", as well as the brand effect of "Chinese Roots" and the newly registered "Shaxi Banyan Tree" brand, to further publicize Shaxi Banyan Tree through "Internet + Company + Farmer", media advertising, participation in various flower fairs, etc., improve popularity, and drive rural revitalization with industrial development.
Do a thorough culture to improve the energy level
Under the command of the gardening workers, a crane truck hoisted a large banyan tree bonsai shape weighing several tons onto a large truck and prepared to be transported outside the province.
Walking in the Banyan Tree Grand View Garden, there are many large banyan tree bonsai shapes, some like vases, some like dragons, lions, tigers and leopards, some like birds and animals, and some like classical figures. The smooth and clean village road extends to every household, the small courtyard of the farmhouse is full of flowers and plants, full of greenery, the landscape of the landscape and the banyan tree landscape are integrated, and the small bridges and flowing water, the strange stone landscape, and the ancient cuo temple are dotted among them, showing a beautiful and livable modern rural picture.
"Shaxi banyan tree bonsai can be divided into four categories: banyan tree melon, landscape banyan tree, banyan stake, and root carved banyan tree bonsai." Li Jingquan said that in the past, most of the people who did it were small indoor bonsai. In recent years, with the great increase in the demand for outdoor landscape greening, everyone has also begun to make a large banyan tree bonsai landscape tree of about 3 meters, and everyone pays attention to modeling innovation, and has created many large banyan tree bonsai with different shapes.
"You see, this tree is a reticulated vase bonsai, fully utilized by dozens of roots that have to be woven over the years. And this one, like a dragon? A tree like this sells for as little as tens of thousands of yuan, as much as 100,000 yuan, and some even reach hundreds of thousands of yuan. Li Zhiyong said with a smile that in the process of cultivating banyan trees, with banyan trees as materials, agronomists carefully processed and cultivated through pruning, whole branches, slinging, grafting and other techniques, making it a potted banyan tree with unique artistic shape, which greatly improved the value of banyan tree bonsai.
The banyan tree bonsai model tests the artistic skills of many folk agronomists, and it contains a strong bonsai culture. At present, the Shaxi Banyan Tree Association is preparing to join hands with relevant government departments to make the banyan tree bonsai culture bigger and deeper. For example, to create a base for the creation of fine art calligraphy, to hold banyan tree calligraphy and painting photography activities, and so on. Daffodil carvers can have non-genetic heirs, ginseng banyan shapes may also be able to apply for intangible cultural heritage, and some excellent folk banyan agronists will be declared as non-genetic inheritors to enhance the cultural taste of banyan tree bonsai.
Lin Zhouxing, deputy director of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Bureau of guleigang economic development zone, said that now, every family in the rural areas of Shaxi Town has a beautiful banyan tree garden behind the house, and if some greenways or leisure chairs can be added, they can be connected into pieces and become an excellent "banyan tree theme country park", driving the development of rural tourism and characteristic homestay industry, creating a pastoral complex integrating ecological agriculture, leisure tourism, cultural creativity, etc., and further promoting rural revitalization.