Pruning Park

　　    The park is lined with pine and cypress trees, featuring lush green lawns, nested gardens within gardens, each with its own unique charm. The gardens are connected by pine and cypress tunnels, with winding paths leading to serene, secluded spots that offer a world of their own. From a high vantage point, the vibrant layers of greenery are dotted with various tree shapes arranged in well-balanced compositions, displaying a myriad of forms. At the center of the park stands a coniferous pine pavilion that seems ready to take flight, with a diameter of 4 meters and a height of 5 meters—providing shade on sunny days and shelter from rain when cloudy. Radiating outward from this central point, the park’s gardeners have carefully cultivated seedlings and skillfully grafted and woven over 200 pine and cypress trees into more than 50 artistic shapes. These include the Azure Dragon Playing with a Pearl, a Peacock Spreading Its Tail, a Fierce Tiger Descending a Mountain, Fish Swimming in a Dragon Palace, Butterflies Welcoming Spring, a Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, and Twin Lions Guarding the Gate—each with distinct expressions and lifelike appearances. There are also replicas such as the Kaifeng Iron Pagoda, the Tiananmen Gate Tower, the Long Cui Pavilion, the Hexagonal Pine Pavilion, the Green Corridor Maze—all standing elegantly and exquisitely crafted. Other creations mimic scenes like an airplane soaring through the sky, a train speeding along, a ship breaking through waves, a tank on the offensive, and a rocket launching—so vivid one can almost smell the gunpowder, feeling as if immersed in the scene. These attractions draw crowds of visitors, and tourists from far and wide have all praised them without exception.

　　    This unique art of pine and cypress pruning and shaping was designed and created by Wang Dianyi (1878–1959), a farmer from Huayuan Village, Bailou Township, Huaiyang County.

　　    Since childhood, he had a deep love for flowers and plants, and was naturally clever and dexterous. In his early years, he planted the only two acres of land in front of his house entirely with pine, cypress trees, and flowers. He used pine and cypress to create shapes of lions, tigers, and even crafted scenes inspired by traditional opera characters, such as the Yellow Crane Tower, Scholar Xu Offering Sacrifices at the Pagoda, and Yang Xiangwu Stealing the Nine-Dragon Cup. In the early years of the Republic of China, he created additional works depicting Sun Yat-sen giving a speech.

　　    Because these pruning artworks were so ingeniously crafted, beautifully shaped, and captivating, they gained widespread fame. In 1927, Wu Peifu summoned him to Wuhan to design a garden. In 1948, Chiang Kai-shek brought him to Nanjing to beautify the Presidential Palace. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the government of Huaiyang County invited him and his son, Wang Yuehui, to establish the Taiwu Mausoleum Pine and Cypress Shaping Park. He transplanted the shaped pine and cypress trees, inverted-planted pagoda trees, and other woody flowering plants from his home into the park, making significant contributions to creating this uniquely charming garden.