The 3rd China Bonsai Exhibition in Rugao, a county-level city of Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The 3rd China Bonsai Exhibition was held in Rugao, hometown of the Chinese flower and bonsai, on Oct 28.

The exhibition showcased 303 top bonsai exhibits from different provinces and cities, demonstrating the unique charm of Chinese bonsai art.

The exhibition was held at the China Rugao International Horticultural City and will run until Nov 1.

To promote the development of the bonsai market, the exhibition also launched a series of activities such as the 2023 China (Rugao) Bonsai Trade Fair and the 2023 China Bonsai Intangible Cultural Heritage Cup.

The 2023 China (Rugao) Bonsai Trade Fair not only met the shopping needs of bonsai lovers, but also promoted the exchange and integration of bonsai culture from different places.

The goal of the 2023 China Bonsai Intangible Cultural Heritage Cup is to encourage innovation and showcase the novelty of bonsai artists through competition, introducing a group of personalized bonsai artists with innovative spirits to the Chinese bonsai industry.

The industrialization and development of the Chinese bonsai has been going on for 20 years, and Rugao has long been a prominent bonsai city. 

The city has a flower and bonsai planting area of 200,000 mu (13,333 hectares), and it produces 1 million bonsai pots annually. More than 100,000 people are engaged in the city’s bonsai industry, and its entire bonsai industrial chain has an annual output value of more than 20 billion yuan ($2.73 billion).