Small and perfectly formed

Penjing practitioner Qingquan "Brook" Zhao demonstrated the Chinese form of the traditional Japanese art of Bonsai at an exhibition at the Dunedin Rugby Club on Saturday.

The National Bonsai Convention, held in Dunedinduring the weekend, attracted more than 70 delegates andenthusiasts from around New Zealand and Australia, Otago Bonsai Society president Brian Ellis said.

Mr Zhao travelled from his native China to exhibit as the keynote demonstrator for the event.

Mr Ellis said the convention's theme of "Chinese Connections" drew upon Otago's historiclinks with China.

The art of Bonsai, or Penjing as it is known in China, is about recreating in miniature scale a tree or forest landscape, which one sees in nature, Mr Ellis said.