Page 3 - BSAM 2018 Q1

President’s Message
As we enter a new year, we at BCI have some new services for BCI Members. We are introducing video to the BCI website. We have set up a new committee to implement this. e videos will be a combination of educational and how-to articles, information on shows and exhibitions from around the world. We are also setting up a BCI Youtube account. We have also linked the BCI Facebook page to the BCI website. Club listings have been updated with an interactive map. Please take a look and check your club contact information. If it is not listed or needs updating please let us know.
We are also looking at setting up a member’s forum on the members’ only area of the website. is will be available for members to seek advice and share knowledge. We will also have some expert guest moderators who will share their knowledge and advice. Some topics we have in mind are: Tropical Bonsai; stones and daiza; a pot expert who may be able to help identify your treasured pot; and species specialists, to name a few. We will keep you updated.
For those of you who attended the BCI Convention in Taiwan, I hope you all enjoyed this unique event. e problem most people had was that too much was happening, and we had to choose what to see and where to go. They had three venues running simultaneous events. The Convention also hosted the Hwa-Fong annual bonsai exhibition, which featured some of the best bonsai in Taiwan.
For me it was a great opportunity to catch up with friends from around the world and also make many new ones, especially several BCI members that I have only communicated with via e-mail or social media. The Exhibition and the demonstrations were rst class. We celebrated BCI’s 55th birthday with a ve tier cake, dancing and a lot of fun. e post convention tour included a visit to a fabulous juniper growing nursery and a stone and wood exhibition. Not everyone can travel to International Conventions. We want to share the experience and hope you enjoy the report on the convention in this issue.
e BCI Board held our Annual Board Meeting prior to the convention and we welcome a new BCI Board member Enrique Castaño from Merida, Mexico.
Enrique may be new to the board but is not new to BCI. He is a long time supporter of BCI and a second generation BCI Board member. I first met him back in 2006 at BCI Convention in Guangzhou. We then travelled together through China for a post convention tour lead by then BCI President IC Su. Enrique’s dad Guillermo was then a BCI board member. Enrique is a renowned author and International demonstrator. His book Botany for Bonsai: e Science Behind the Art, serves as a building block for Bonsai horticulture. He is currently a professor at the plant research centre in Mérida, Spain.
Also held in conjunction with the Taiwan Convention, was the first International Symposium on Bonsai, which was held at the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung. The Symposium featured technical lectures, demonstrators and moderated discussions on many di erent topics from many di erent countries. Some very interesting topics were presented, a few examples being; “ e stronger the Youth, the better future of Penjing,” “A Comparative Study about Artistic Features of Chinese Penjing and Japanese Bonsai,” “ e Impact of climate on Bonsai care in Eastern Europe.” Moshe Emergui reported on Israeli Bonsai. Michael Hagedorn reported on “Misinformation that Plagues the US Bonsai Community.” BCI Director Min Hsuan Lo gave a presentation on “Learning from Nature: Advanced Techniques on Ficus microcarpa Bonsai Creation.”
Various moderators also hosted several oral sessions over the three days. I was honoured to be invited to give a presentation on Bonsai Clubs International at this inaugural event.
e Malaysia Exhibition and Friendship Tour, 2018, is fast approaching. ey have offered more options with or without accommodation. Please visit their website for more details: www.bonsaistone.com.my.
Our main event in 2018, is the BCI Convention in Mulhouse, France, followed by an optional BCI Tour of Eastern France “For the Aroma of Wine.” Peggy, owner of Jimmys Tours, who has hosted all of the BCI Tours in China and Inner Mongolia, has put together this unique tour with the help of BCI Vice President Helen Su, who has travelled this area many times and is a wine importer and connoisseur.
Our main event in 2018,
is the BCI Convention in Mulhouse, France, followed by an optional BCI Tour
of Eastern France “For the Aroma of Wine.”
You can see more about these activities in this issue, or visit the BCI Mulhouse Convention website: www.world-bonsai- mulhouse.fr.
Tour registration and contact information will be available on the BCI website: www. bonsai-bci.com/aromaofwine.
For more information please contact myself: president@bonsai-bci.com or BCI Vice President and Convention Committee Chair, Helen Su: bcivp@bonsai-bci.com
I hope to see you at one of these events.
Cheers from Down Under, Glenis Bebb
January/February/March 2018 | BCI | 1