The Chinese art of penjing and the Japanese art of bonsai share roots in the traditional Asian reverence for nature, and close observation of trees and landscapes inspires these artistic interpretations of nature. The world's first museum dedicated to these living sculptures includes an Exhibits Gallery with selections from a Viewing Stone Collection and a Special Exhibits Wing with changing exhibits relating to bonsai and penjing. More than 1,000 years ago, Chinese scholars developed penjing, a scene or landscape in a container, and the Chinese Pavilion displays examples of both tree and rock penjing. The Japanese Pavilion features masterpiece trees donated by the people of Japan in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial, including trees that have been trained as bonsai for centuries and one grown as a bonsai since 1625. The North American Pavilion presents the diversity of trees and artistic interpretations of nature from this continent. In winter, subtropical bonsai and penjing are displayed in the Tropical Conservatory, while most temperate zone trees are protected from extreme winter weather in the Chinese Pavilion.
