Leader of the big tree pruning team of the Summer Palace horticultural team: cut the trees into an ancient painting

　　The plant pruning of the Summer Palace refers to and draws on the "Mustard Seed Garden Painting Book" and the gestures of plants in ancient Chinese landscape paintings

　　The leader of the big tree pruning class: cut the trees into an ancient painting

　　Beijing's autumn leaf viewing has come to an end, but the gorgeous autumn scenery of dark yellow and light green has not only remained in the photo albums of citizens, but also the pleasant look and feel it brings will never be forgotten for a long time.

This year, the Houxi River in the Summer Palace has become the "top stream" of Beijing's autumn scenery. Young people wear Hanfu to check in, and citizens and tourists also shoot "big movies" with the "Sacred Tree" and "Internet Red Bridge" as the background.

　　The trees on both sides of the Houxi River are colorful and charming.

How to create the poetic and picturesque autumn scenery of Internet celebrities?

Du Jinsong, head of the big tree pruning team of the Summer Palace horticultural team, told the Beijing News reporter.

　　Looking at ancient paintings, drawing inspiration and pruning out the charm of trees

　　Enter from the North Palace Gate of the Summer Palace, cross the Suzhou Bridge, and you will arrive at Houxi River.

The turquoise lake is clear and clean, with light green, deep yellow and orange red intertwined on both sides. The colorful tree shadows and high sky and light clouds are reflected in the smooth mirror-like lake. The strong colors and the deep and quiet atmosphere complement each other.

Occasionally, a painted boat passes by, as if driving in a painting.

　　A beautiful maple tree with gorgeous red leaves and arched branches protruding towards the water has become a "background board" for tourists to line up to take pictures.

There are nearly 30,000 trees in the Summer Palace, and the posture of each tree affects the landscape of the garden. They are natural and there is no trace of artificial pruning.

This is exactly what the masters of the big tree pruning class want to achieve.

　　"This maple forest needs to be pruned to make the crown look natural and full, in stark contrast to the residual lotus in the lake." Du Jinsong pointed to the tall and dense landscape trees on the other side of the river, "those crowns are connected, Against the background of the blue sky, a gentle arc is formed. Our pruning must follow the trend and cut off the protruding and messy branches, so that the skyline is projected in the water, which is also very beautiful.”

　　"The mountain is full of pines and cypresses, and the forest is decorated with flowers, peach willows are planted between the embankments, and the lake is full of lotus fragrance."

The layout of the plant landscape that has continued for more than 200 years is not only an important part of the gardening art of the Summer Palace, but also represents the superb state of "although it is made by man, it is created by heaven" in classical Chinese gardening art.

　　Du Jinsong's inspiration for tree repairing comes from a "cheat book" on his desk - "Mustard Seed Garden Painting Book".

This painting collection is a collection of classic works by famous Chinese painters of the Ming and Qing dynasties, including trees, mountains and rocks, figures and houses, plums, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums, etc. It is the "enlightenment teacher" of many painters.

It is a tradition of plant pruning in the Summer Palace to refer to and learn from the "Mustard Seed Garden Painting Book" and the postures of plants in ancient Chinese landscape paintings.

　　Not long ago, he wanted to prune a peach tree that grew alone on the hillside. This tree is top-heavy and has signs of falling, but its position is very important. After tourists get off the bridge, it will come into view, which is related to the first impression of tourists on the scenic spot. .

At this time, a picture of peach blossoms near water in "Mustard Seed Garden Painting Book" suddenly broke into Du Jinsong's mind and opened his mind.

"The front branches of this tree can be partly pruned, and the remaining branches hang down to the water surface. The peach blossoms will be in full bloom in April next year, which can form the effect of a single tree forming a landscape."

　　In this way, under the influence of traditional Chinese aesthetics, he built the skeleton, posture and charm of the big trees in the Summer Palace according to the ancient paintings.

　　Tree pruning should allow the tree body to ventilate and transmit light

　　Unlike the public who pays more attention to beauty, the primary purpose of pruning large trees is actually safety and health.

If there is a hole in the big tree or there are diseases and insect pests, the plant protection team of the Summer Palace will fill the tree hole and control the diseases and insect pests.

The job of the big tree pruning class is to prevent problems before they happen, so that the trees can avoid these situations.

　　"First of all, start from the aspect of disaster prevention and mitigation, and then consider the landscape." Du Jinsong recalled that there was a strong wind in Beijing more than ten years ago, which knocked down many big trees, and there were more than 100 trees in the Summer Palace alone.

Tree pruning is to make the tree body ventilated and light-transmitting. If there is no ventilation, it will be blown down by a gust of wind.

If there is no light, the trees will grow weak, unhealthy, and prone to pests.

　　Every time there is a stormy weather, Du Jinsong has to stay in the Summer Palace all night, so that after the rain stops, he can deal with high-risk trees and fallen trees with the rescue team.

With the growth of the age of the trees, the canopy of the peach willows on the West Bank gradually increases, and there is a phenomenon of mutual interference.

In the winter of 2015, the disaster prevention and pruning project of Xidi landscape trees was implemented. The height of the trees that were too tall and in danger of lodging was reduced, and the shape of the trees was sorted out to reduce the load. At the same time, each tree was separated by a certain space. Simple and clear, presenting a long landscape of smoked willows.

　　In order to avoid splitting of large and thick branches, Du Jinsong uses the "three-saw method".

The first saw is sawed from bottom to top, and the depth is about half of the thickness of the branch. He called it "back one knife". It is to remove the stump and form a smooth saw edge to ensure the tree heals quickly.

　　"The place we are in is the imperial garden. How are plants and landscapes, terrain and buildings coordinated and beautiful? We need to learn and think with our heart." Du Jinsong pondered, we should open the visual corridor through tree pruning.

At the highest point of Longevity Hill, the "perspective project" also came into being.

　　When tourists come to the top of the mountain to overlook the beautiful scenery of Kunming Lake, they are covered by tall and dense trees.

So everyone thought of the method of perspective.

"We pruned the dense branches and tree crowns that block the sight of tourists in layers, forming a visual window, allowing the wind to blow in and the beautiful scenery to leak in."

　　Enter the industry and follow the master from the exploration experience

　　Just like his own name, Du Jinsong seems to be born with trees.

　　In 1986, the Summer Palace recruited workers to add greening power to the park.

"At that time, the only condition was to write a letter of commitment to dedicate my life to greening without changing the guard." Du Jinsong took a fancy to this as a formal job, and joined the greening team with 17 other young men.

　　"At that time, the master had a very good way of leading his apprentices. He neither prepared the tools, nor took the initiative to teach us, but let us start from the most basic experience. Pass on to us the energy-saving and efficient experience accumulated for many years. In this way, we understand quickly and remember solidly.”

　　Really falling in love with this job is the moment to test the results in the next year.

"Whether the trees or flowers I pruned last year, they all have feelings. Seeing them grow beautifully gives me a sense of accomplishment."

　　Pruning a 20-meter-high tree requires boldness, care and agility.

Some young men are afraid of heights, so they are not competent for this risky job.

In the era when there were no aerial work vehicles and high ladders, Du Jinsong climbed trees quickly and was "sticky" on trees, just like growing on trees. He was the "chosen person" to climb trees.

　　Having worked in the Summer Palace for 36 years, Du Jinsong is now sharing his master's skills and his own experience with young people.

Some people have just entered the industry, but they dare not do anything when they look at the lush trees.

He often inspires and encourages them, "When you pick up the scissors or the saw, ask yourself why you need to prune? We are not working to complete the work, but for the health of the tree and to set off the scenery behind. Well, any pruning is fine as long as there's a good reason for it."

　　Du Jinsong is 52 years old this year. He is very proud that he fulfilled his promise when he entered the park and devoted his entire career to the afforestation of the Summer Palace.

　　Beijing News reporter Zhang Lu