Although bamboo is distributed throughout the sub-tropical and mild temperate zones, the heaviest concentration and largest number of species is found in Southeast Asia. There are about 75 genera and 1,000 species of bamboo, some growing to heights of between 100 and 120 feet, and having stems up to 12 inches in diameter.

People living in East Asia are noted for their ability to use bamboo in their daily lives, to provide food and clothing, to make tools and weapons, and for use in such fields as education, communications and recreation. The Chinese people in particular admire the hardy nature of bamboo and count it among the three "friends of winter," along with the pine and the plum tree. Bamboo has always played a key role in Chinese culture and art, and has helped to shape the life style in general. Poets and painters are inspired by bamboo's beauty and strength. Artists regard bamboo along with the chrysanthemum, plum blossom and orchid as one of the "four gentlemen." In the Yuan Dynasty, Li Kan was a high-ranking official who resigned from office to devote himself to studying and portraying bamboo. Apart from acquiring consummate skill in bamboo painting, he wrote a systematic treatise on the subject entitled "Chu-pu Hsiang-lu." Bamboo, as the symbol of a "gentleman" who bends but will not break, was naturally popular among the scholars of the Yuan Dynasty. Other notable bamboo painters of the period were Ko Chiu-ssu, Ni Tsan and Wu Chen, whose studies in ink are more personal and spontaneous than the polished compositions of Li Kan.

Poets have found in bamboo the qualities that are valued in mankind, including an uprightness which supposedly inspires virtue. Thus, Su Shih, a renowned Sung Dynasty man of letters said: "I would rather eat no meat than live without bamboo. The lack of meat will make me thin, but the lack of bamboo will make me vulgar." Even in the earliest Chinese Classics, such as The Book of Odes and Chu Tze or the poems of Chu, praise of bamboo as a noble creation can be found. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a group of seven men of letters were known as the Seven Wise Men of the Bamboo Grove. Wisdom thus came to be associated with bamboo in literature.

Bamboo belongs to the tribe Bambuseae in the grass family, Gramineae. According to historians' research, the use of bamboo handicrafts can be traced back to the Bronze Age. On the China Mainland, more than 60 species of bamboo, notably Men Tsung, Tan, Purple, Ching Li and Kan, grow mainly in the valleys of the Pearl and Yangtze rivers. Since Taiwan is located in the subtropical zone, bamboo also grows there profusely. From Keelung in the north of the island to Hengchun in the extreme south, green bamboo groves can be seen dotting the plains, hillsides and mountains. Broad plantations of bamboo have become a distinguishing feature of the rural villages in Taiwan. Including some 50-odd species, bamboo is found in particularly large concentration in the central Taiwan counties of Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi. Kuei, Ma, Green, Chanchi, Men Tsung and Li bamboos are among six of the most popular species in Taiwan. They are endowed with high economic and artistic values.

Because of its unusual characteristics and great variety, bamboo has been used in a seemingly endless number of ways, ranging from food to heavy construction. The grain of the bamboo is consumed in many Asian countries, and the tender shoots are either eaten as a vegetable or are pickled and candied. Bamboo poles can be made into brooms, and numerous other products, while the leaves provide raw materials for clothing and hats, and are used to bind glutinous rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival. The stems of the larger species supply timber for building houses and bridges, or for planking and thatching. Many types of receptacles and pipes are made from the hollow stems. Bamboo finds many uses in and around the house, being ideal for such construction as fencing, furniture, screens and awning. It can also be used to make boat masts, walking sticks, rafts, brush pens, abacuses, rulers, musical instruments, fishing poles, bows and arrows, and instruments for religious ceremonies such as weapons for the gods, sticks for drawing lots, weaving and wickerwork. Because of the attractive appearance of the dense foliage and stems, bamboo has also become a popular ornamental plant.

Luku (Deer Valley) in Nantou County in central Taiwan is known as the "village of bamboo." The Council for Agricultural Planning and Development of the Republic of China has provided assistance for the inhabitants to expand bamboo plantations. Nearby, a "Chu San Rural Industry Area," and a handicraft department in the Chu San High School have been set up to fully exploit and develop the art of bamboo ware.

Although bamboo is hard and durable, it is easily carved. In former times, a sharp knife was sufficient to fashion it into many useful objects. Power tools now speed the work and the output. Bamboo handicrafts－most of them articles of daily use－and the tender bamboo shoots earn NT$800 million (US$22 million) in foreign exchange a year for Taiwan. Bamboo is deservedly known as a versatile grass. It has thousands of uses and continues to be in wide demand even during the plastics era.