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Lynne Waihee: Champion of Children’s Literacy |
| Former first lady of Hawaii Lynne Waihee heads the Read to Me International Foundation, which helps kids succeed in life — by the book. |
Balancing Career and Caregiving |
| A Makiki resident describes how he pulls off the ultimate juggling act. |
DEPARTMENT:
The Bonsai Master
by Jheneya Tavares
Photography by Veronica Carmona
On a quiet 16-acre parcel at the foot of the verdant Koolau mountain
range, 72-year-old Walter Liew faithfully tends to his “loves”
— some 500 bonsai, each a meticulously pruned miniature work
of art.
“I train, cut, wire, bound and care for all my bonsai,”
he says. “In return, they give me lots of oxygen. We are beneficial
to each other.”
Many people mistakenly believe the art of bonsai originated in Japan. In fact, the first bonsai appeared in China more than 1,500 years ago. It wasn’t until the 13th century that Buddhist monks introduced it to Japan.
It
was, however, the Japanese who took bonsai out of Asia in 1878. From
its debut in Europe that year at the World Trade Fair in Paris, the
art rapidly spread. Today, it is practiced by hobbyists around the
world.
Translated from Mandarin, bonsai means “plant in a container, dish or pot.” Liew, who was trained by experts in China and Japan, maintains if you possess enough skill and desire, you can grow almost any tree as bonsai. Among the beautiful specimens thriving at his Hawaii Bonsai Cultural Center in Waimanalo, which he founded in 1999 with his wife Ann, are cypress, black pine, elm, juniper, banyan and crepe myrtle.
One of Liew’s most prized bonsai is a five-foot ironwood that once belonged to Anna Rice Cooke, founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Over a century old, it is worth about $75,000 today.
But, Liew emphasizes, when determining a bonsai’s value, age and size are irrelevant. “An older, smaller bonsai doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better bonsai,” he says. “What’s important is its style.”
Some of Liew’s bonsai flaunt perfect rounded umbrella shapes, while others are asymmetrical, with leaves and branches on one side cascading toward the ground. The trunks of some trees are straight as a ruler; others are bent, slanted or curved. Twisting aerial roots are key features of many of his designs.
The bonsai artist’s challenge, says Liew, is to nurture a tree that mirrors a venerable one that has been sculpted by the elements in the wild. He achieves this by deftly pruning and wiring the tree’s trunk, branches and foliage. Imperfections such as knots, bumps and discolorations are desirable because they show character. Beauty, grace, elegance, dignity, stability, strength, tranquility and other qualities that come with age and hardship describe the most striking bonsai.
Each of Liew’s bonsai is unique – a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that’s all the more remarkable because of its diminutive size. Most of his creations range between five inches and five feet tall.
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In Liew’s view, bonsai is especially fascinating because it is a living art, an unfinished art. “It is always growing,” he notes. “It can always be improved and transformed.” He spends 14 hours each day trimming, watering, weeding and wiring his treasured trees.
The rewards of this effort go far beyond aesthetics. “Bonsai can heal a wounded heart,” Liew asserts. “It teaches hard work, discipline, cohesiveness and the importance of nurturing.” He has seen the positive effects the art has had on his students, many of whom have found lasting peace and harmony by cultivating their plants.
According to Liew, cultivating bonsai also stimulates creativity;
produces oxygen, which keeps the
brain functioning and blood circulating; and requires constant movement,
which is essential to good health. “If you were to bind your
arm to your chest for one month and then turn it loose, your arm will
not work,” Liew says. “But if you continue to move and
exercise, you will function and live longer.”
Liew was born in Shangdong Province in Northern China, the home of revered philosophers Confucious and Lao Tzu. He moved to Taiwan when he was 13 where he received a master’s degree in mathematics. His interest in bonsai began when he was a freshman in college, and he has been devoted to it ever since.
“If you fall in love with this hobby, you will pursue it with passion, much as you would a beautiful woman,” Liew says. “It is a forever love.”