The Times of India

From the elite class's hobby to contemporary decorative: How did bonsai making turn into a modern-day art form?

Seeing a Bonsai often sends us down an inquisitive lane of thought. We get curious to know how it was made, what is the procedure behind it, and is it even real! Lets dig in to find out!The art of bonsai dates back centuries and is often thought of as a purely Japanese tradition, but its true origins trace back over 2,000 years to ancient China, where it began as penjing or the practice of creating miniature areas in containers.Surprisingly, it began just as a hobby for Chinese elites and eventually traveled east with Buddhist monks who carried these miniature trees to Japan, and then it gradually became the modern day art, we see today.