Bamboo Culture

By: Lisa Chiu

Bamboo is one of the four favorite plants along with Chinese plum, orchid and chrysanthemum, the so-called Four Men of Honor (Si4 Jun1 Zi3) by the Chinese. The characters of the four plants are highly admired by the Chinese people so they want to be just like the four plants. In turn, the plants have possessed some human nature. This is an example of the harmony between nature and human being (Tian1 Ren2 He2 Yi1).

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.'

Bamboo culture is deeply rooted in the daily life of the Chinese. Bamboo chopsticks are still the most common tableware in China. Dizi (Chinese flute) is made of bamboo. People are still using paintbrush made from bamboo today. It is quite common to see lucky bamboo and wenzhu (asparagus fern) in Chinese homes.

Bamboo Culture Festival has become popular in recent years. There are many such festivals held in different places across China each year. To take part in a bamboo culture festival is probably the best opportunity to learn the bamboo culture. During a bamboo culture festival, there are usually exhibitions of bamboo carvings, poems and paintings. Bamboo painting is an important part of Chinese traditional painting. You can also see all kinds of bamboos, listen to them as well as feel their spirit with your heart to bring you peace and harmony.