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In ancient China bamboo was a feature of various aspects of daily life. It was used for food, clothing, housing and transportation. China's first books were crafted from bamboo strips strung
on string, and almost all ancient musical instruments were made of bamboo. Bamboo also had assigned roles within feudal ethics.
Chinese ancients designated the plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum as "four gentlemen," and pine, bamboo and plum as the "three friends in winter." Renowned Tang poet Bai Juyi (772-846) summed up the merits of bamboo according to its characteristics: its deep root denotes resoluteness, its tall, straight stem represents honorability, its hollow interior modesty and its clean and spartan exterior exemplifies chastity. He thus concluded that bamboo lives up to the title "gentleman."
Ancient Chinese literati held bamboo in profound esteem. This explains why there are so many writings and paintings dedicated to it throughout history.
Of all the painters in history, Zheng Banqiao (AD1693-1765) of the Qing Dynasty is believed to have been the best at drawing bamboo. As a teenager, he put white paper on a lattice window, and observed the shadows of bamboo. His paintings focused on the vitality of the plant, portraying it as spare and aloof yet sturdy and proud. An inscription on one of his bamboo paintings reads: "Firmly cleave to the mountain, take root in a fractured bluff; grow stronger after tribulations, and withstand gales from all directions."
Bamboo Painting
Today as people become more aware of the interaction between mankind and nature, the establishment of bamboo preserves should bring growing areas of bamboo forest. This will be of great benefit to the giant panda, and can also be viewed as a restoration of traditional Chinese values.
In sharp contrast to other plants, the bamboo only blossoms every 60 to 80 years, and perishes soon after. It takes one to three decades for its seeds to grow. In the past 3 million years bamboos have undergone more than 50,000 extensive blooms. Pandas survived by migrating, but this is no longer an option owing to the sharp decrease of bamboo forests. The last two bloomings of bamboo caused 250 giant pandas to starve to death.
You can find bamboo just about everywhere in China as long as it can be grown. Gardens are usually good places to see bamboo, such as the famous Purple Bamboo Garden in Beijing and Guyi Garden in Shanghai. The Bamboo Sea Scenic Area in Sichuan Province has become a popular destination, which consists of 28 peaks fully covered with bamboo, thanks to the movie 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.'
Related Article:
Chinese Culture behind Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon
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