With China's rich history, wide ranging geographical and climatic conditions and the considerable variations in regional cultural conditions, Penjing masters have placed different emphases on the cultivation of artistic pot plants and different schools of thought and practice have emerged. Chinese artistic pot plants can be classified into six major schools. They are the Suzhou and Zhejiang School, the Hunan and Hubei School, the Sichuan School, the Liaoning School, the Beijing and Shanghai School, and the Lingnan (Guangzhou) School.

With the exception of the Lingnan School, all schools emphasise exquisite craftsmanship, refinement and perfection of form.

Lingnan School
Formed in Guangdong province, the theory advocates that a plant looks best when all the leaves are plucked and the whole plant trimmed before the new sprouts appear; showing age-old strength and twigs looking like the claws of a chicken, the branches of the tree will exhibit beautiful outline and graceful style. This is called the Lingnan School. There are no fixed rules on forming the shape of the plant; it all depends on the natural qualities and the trainer's thoughtfulness, technique and talent.