BONSAI COMPETITION COMING SOON: Jong (third left) after the press conference with (from left) Chong, Chai Ted Foh, Sabrina, Liew, Ong and Chai Liang Ling.
KUCHING: About 160 bonsai masterpieces will be vying for the Grand Champion prize at the 9th All-Sarawak Open Bonsai Competition 2012, to be held from July 5 to 8 at The Hills Shopping Mall.
“The bonsai are divided into 10 groups under four different categories of Mini, Small, Medium and Large.
“Out of the 160, 20 are from Miri. This year, we didn’t get any from Sibu or Bintulu because the bonsai plants have not finished being cultivated.
“The panel of judges consists of two bonsai experts from Kuala Lumpur and another from Singapore,” said Sarawak Bonsai Association chairman Johnson Jong at a press conference Friday.
He said the judging would be based on criteria such as composition, expansive root structure, the branches and overall health of tree.
“Judging will be on July 7 and results announced on the same day.
“On July 8, members of the public will be able to witness demonstrations by bonsai experts on the cultivation of these miniature trees,” he said.
Besides the Grand Champion prize, there will be Gold, Silver and Bronze winners for the respective category.
The Sarawak Bonsai Association has been actively promoting the art of bonsai, which is the cultivation of miniature trees in ceramic pots, throughout the state through a series of exhibitions and annual competitions to attract the public to view and appreciate these fine specimens of natural art.
With influences from China, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia, bonsai enthusiasts in the state have adopted many techniques and have even established their own identity and flavour by cultivating local plant species into bonsai.
Also present at the press conference were the competition’s organising chairman Chai Ted Foh, Sarawak Bonsai Association secretary Alfred Ong, treasurer Chai Liang Ling, committee member Chong Kiek Chiun, The Hills marketing manager Sabrina Douglas and marketing executive Sharon Ann Liew.
For more information about the upcoming event, contact Jong at 019-8878822.