Worldest oldest living Bonsai - can anyone verify this ?

Reading through the -

Bonsai Penjing - Montreal Bonsai Garden [ 1985 ] - page 67 -

Speaks of the discovery of a living potted Pine in a tomb , that dates back at least 3,600 years.

Real or just a hoax ?
Thanks
Khaimraj

I first heard that story when I was a teenager, but always considered it folklore. I'd love to see the proof.

Hi Russell,

I first read it in 86, a friend who grew Bonsai back then, went to Canada and brought back the book.
Just got my own copy, through Amazon a few days ago. I, once a year sit and go through pages of old Bonsai books, on Amazon, the idea is to get a few, especially the before 1960 ones.
I find the ideas fascinating and it's interesting to see how things change.
Later.
Khaimraj

Personal opinion... I don't think a pine would be lasting much more than a year in a tomb,
seeing that pines kinda need alot of light ???
Unless this tomb happens to be the well lit kind ???

It's an Internet rumor/hoax. I have a feeling it is a garbled version of a less fantastical history, detailed below:

The earliest documented proof of bonsai was discovered in 1972 in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 A.D.) who died in 706 A.D. Two wall paintings discovered in the tomb show servants carrying plants resemblingbonsai. In one of the paintings a servant is seen carrying a miniature landscape and in the other painting a servant is shown carrying a pot containing a tree.

rockm wrote:It's an Internet rumor/hoax. I have a feeling it is a garbled version of a less fantastical history, detailed below:

The earliest documented proof of bonsai was discovered in 1972 in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 A.D.) who died in 706 A.D. Two wall paintings discovered in the tomb show servants carrying plants resemblingbonsai. In one of the paintings a servant is seen carrying a miniature landscape and in the other painting a servant is shown carrying a pot containing a tree.

This sounds much more believable.

Please see the last entry on this page for some background, http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/Days/DaysAprc.html .

Thank you Robert J.Baran.
Khaimraj