Bamboo is gentle yet upright. Its green leaves do not fall throughout the year. It can stand the frosty cold as well as the gusting winds. Some say its gracefulness in breezes and its beauty against the background of blue skies or silver moon can cleanse one's soul and drive away worries. The Chinese people love bamboo and Chinese scholars and poets praise it for its qualities associated with virtues. The bamboo develops strong sentiments, because it seems to help people understand the art of living by observing it. Thus the bamboo is often personified as symbolizing a noble character.
Bamboo can be found everywhere in Taiwan. Chitou Park, an experimental forest of National Taiwan University, is one of the principal bamboo producing areas of the island and a popular tourist attraction. There are several kinds of bamboo. Some varieties grow 10 feet tall. Others may be several times taller. The size of the bamboo stem can be that of a man's arm or his thumb. Some bamboo grows "hair" that may be boiled to make a refreshing drink. One kind of bamboo has yellow skin with green stripes appearing as if bound by strings. Another has spots covering the stems. According to legend this bamboo originated from the dropping of a court lady's blood. Another unusual bamboo has square- shaped instead of the usual round stems. Bamboo in the courtyard gives to many a feeling of coolness and ease during the long summer days in Taiwan.
Bamboo is used by the Chinese in many ways. In building or making instruments, it helps provide the necessities of life. Bamboo chopsticks are a feature of Eastern culture. Among furnishings are bamboo tables, bamboo chairs, bamboo benches, beds, pillows, book shelves, partitions, flower racks, blinds and other items made of bamboo. Bamboo is used extensively in stationery, too. In transportation, there are bamboo bridges, bamboo rafts and bamboo sedan chairs. In musical instruments, bamboo is used in Chinese flutes and pipes. Bamboo is used in the arts in painting, sculpture, and for bamboo ware and other handicraft products. Bamboo shoots are much used in Chinese cooking, itself a fine art. The Chinese grow bamboo, use bamboo, and above all, love bamboo. It is one of the "four gentlemen" of the Chinese floral world, the others being plum flowers, orchids and chrysanthemums. Bamboo is listed in the "three friends in the cold of the year," with pine and plum, which do not wither in winter. These titles indicate how the bamboo is cherished and respected by the Chinese.
The uses of bamboo in construction: bamboo scaffold at World Trade Building.
The uses of bamboo in construction: a bamboo bridge at Chitou.
The uses of bamboo in construction: a bamboo house at Chitou.
Big bamboo baskets for drying rice powder.
The making of bamboo furnitures.
Bamboo shoots are canncod for export.
Delicate bamboo products both beautiful and practical.
Bamboo plates, either for decoration or daily use.
Handicraft products of bamboo in Taiwan.
Handicraft products of bamboo in Taiwan.
Handicraft products of bamboo in Taiwan.
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