In 1986, the World Expo was held in Vancouver, Canada. Chad Sinclair, at the age of eight, visited the China Pavilion on his grandmother’s recommendation. He was dazzled by the wealth of sights. It was right here that Chad opened the door to Chinese culture.

 

 

Today, Chad has lived in China for 23 years, 19 of which have been spent in Chengdu. He is passionate about China’s art of penjing, with a particular affection for the Sichuan school of penjing. In 2019, he came to Yanjiawanwan in Chongzhou, one of the birthplaces of Sichuan penjing folk culture, where he set up his own penjing studio. Since he settled down here, he has led over 300 local villagers in making miniature penjing, with each earning an additional RMB 50,000 a year.

 

 

A hallmark of Chad’s works is penjing crafted from bamboo. Chad says that when he looks at a bamboo penjing, he automatically thinks of China. “Bamboo is full of vitality and grows incredibly fast, just like this city, soaring forward.” He jokingly calls himself a “veteran Chengdu local” and deeply loves this city, especially the parks here. He seeks to incorporate the charm of the parks into his penjing creation, sharing, “A park is just one big penjing.”

 

Edited by Zhang Yuanlin

Source: Home in Chengdu