Page 20 - BSAM 2018 Q1

Bottom; Superior Award, Hibiscus tiliaceus
Facing page, left to right, top to bottom;
Superior Award, Celtis sinensis Superior Award, Podocarpus
cuspidata
Hibiscus tiliaceus Pinus morrisonicola Hibiscus tiliaceus Hibiscus tiliaceus
123 hectares with its diverse exhibition halls where ag- ricultural products of Changhua County featured. e bonsai and viewing stone exhibition was only a part of the large agricultural fair that featured food stands, cra s, ower and fruit exhibits, and more. e agri- cultural fair lasted from November 4 to 26. It was not possible to see, for example, the Taiwan Garden, the Japanese Garden or the “Cute Animals” (zoo) within the area. ere was no chance for me either to see Mr. Chen’s Wan-Jing Art Garden. I was fortunate to visit it on previous stays in Taiwan, for example, on occasion of the 10th Asia Paci c Bonsai & Suiseki Convention & Exhibition in 2009.
e viewing stone exhibition was some minutes walk from the bonsai exhibition, located in a sepa- rate hall. e display space for the mostly large stones was restricted by partitions and sometimes even too small. e more than 200 stones were mostly ordered by kind. Taitung Watermelon stones, Taitung Nantian
stone, picture sand stones, Hualien Rose stones (rho- donite/silicates) are of Taiwanese origin, whereas other types, such as Dahua stones, Fengli from In- ner Mongolia, originate from mainland China. It was surprising to me how many polished stones, mainly rose stones were on display. e same kind of display we could see at the opening of the exhibition of “2017 Asia Paci c BCI Bonsai & Suiseki Association” in Hualien on November 9 during the post-convention tour. It was, in fact, a stone exhibition with a few bon- sai here and there.
In summary, the BCI 2017 convention in Taiwan was to me not only a learning process where I could see most beautiful bonsai and stones but also an enjoy- able meeting with like-minded friends where I could gain and exchange experiences. is will last in my memory for ever.
18 | BCI | January/February/March 2018