Hòn non bộ (chữ Nôm: 𡉕𡽫部) is theVietnamese art of making miniature landscapes, imitating the scenery of the islands, mountains and surrounding environment as found in nature. It is a particular local development of the Chinese art ofpenzai, as wasbonsai inJapan.
The phraseHòn non bộ comes from the Vietnamese language:Hòn (𡉕) means islands,non (𡽫) means mountains, andbộ 部 means a set, in this context, the islands and the mountains are one set.
Hòn non bộ may be quite large and elaborate or small and simple. It was used to grace the courtyard entrance of the traditional Vietnamese home. ThroughoutVietnamese history,Hòn non bộ have been built for emperors, generals, and other important people as monuments, decorations, personal vistas, and as cultural icons.
Miniature landscape art was first recorded afterVietnamese independence in the year 939. A version of this was theHòn non bộ (lit., "island-mountain-panorama"), which is designed to be seen from all sides. People, even the poorest, placed rocks and plants surrounded by water in containers or basins originally carved from stone. (Later these were formed fromstucco, and then fromconcrete.) IndividualHòn non bộ could be a foot or two in height. Sometimes these were also known as tiểu cảnh, the art of mini-scenes, where the tree is the main subject and it is larger than the mountains portrayed. Members of royalty built larger versions up to 20 or 25 feet high (with mountains always larger than the backdrop trees). Almost always one or more of these landscapes were included in the grounds of their palaces and temples to form a part of thesacred enclosure. At some point, these were often accompanied by parallel verses in Chinese, stereotyped quotations that everyone knew thanks to popular collections of expressions for use on various occasions. Incense sticks and some miniature figurines might also be a part of their construction. This was done even after Ngô Quyền's death ushered in a period of civil strife.[1][2][3][4]
Temples were built withHòn non bộ in order to commemorate the deeds of the kings who ruled between the years equivalent to 968 and 1005.[3][5]
From 1225 to 1400, theTrần dynasty ruled Vietnam and repelled the invading Mongol forces of the Yuan dynasty in 1258, 1285, and 1288. Most of the magnificent palaces were destroyed in the process. These were subsequently rebuilt, complete withHòn non bộ, using the labor of enemy collaborators.[6]
In 1406, the ChineseMing dynasty Emperor ordered his army to invade Vietnam and confiscate all things related to that culture, such as books and art objects, and bring them back to China. The following year, the interim Vietnamese ruler was caught by invaders, carnage followed, and all works of art and architecture were destroyed—includingHòn non bộ. Later, theLê dynasty (1428–1788) rebuilt many of the devastated palaces andHòn non bộ were very popular features in the renovations. Mini-scenes and miniature landscapes made during this period usedCycas revoluta (sago palms) on the birthdays of kings, lords, and elderly high-class people.[7] The scholarNguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm (aka Trang Trình, 1491–1585) was said to have used aHòn non bộ to provide guidance while predicting the fate or destiny of others.[8]
Hòn non bộ, as well as miniature plants and rocks, are mentioned inĐoạn Trường Tân Thanh, a thousand-page book byNguyễn Du (1766–1820).[9] During theNguyễn dynasty (1802–1945), the art of miniature plants without much additional landscaping,cây kiểng, flourished. (It was calledcây cảnh in the north.) Kings enjoyed planting pines and junipers; mandarins loved growingThuja orientalis andCasuarina; intellectuals or other notable figures likedFicus; and lay people devoted themselves to planting mallow (Malva),Tamarindus indica, andMelaleuca leucadendra. Except for those planted by kings, all trees planted for pleasure by mandarins or lay people had to have their tops bent downward because it was considered impertinent to superiors to have treetops growing upward.[10]
AHòn non bộ was constructed by the Nguyen emperors in the pond of Diên Thọ Palace in theImperial City of Huế. An example ofHòn non bộ scenery is on display in theBotanical Building inSan Diego, California.[11]