Bamboo, a symbol of traditional Chinese values Go back »
2011-04-29 | Nanjing
Origin
Possessing the most bamboo of any country in the world, China is well known as the Kingdom of Bamboo. China grows 400 species of bamboo, and one third of all known bamboo species in the world are grown in China. The history of Chinese people planting and using bamboo can be traced back 7,000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C), bamboo was already used in various aspects of ancient Chinese people’s daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, music instruments and even weapons. Before the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) when paper was invented, strips of bamboo had been used as the most important writing medium more widely used other materials, such as silk, animal furs and rocks. China’s first books were crafted from bamboo strips on string. Thus bamboo played an important part in the daily life of ancient Chinese people, and its role as a writing medium helped keep history records and traditional Chinese culture for us to study today.
The Spirits of Bamboo Culture
Bamboo has the title of "gentleman" among other plants. As a symbol of virtue, bamboo is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Famous Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Bai Juyi (772-846) summarized the merits of bamboo according to its characteristics: its deep root denotes resoluteness, straight stem represents honorability, its interior modesty and its clean exterior exemplifies chastity. Bamboo culture always plays a positive role in encouraging people to hold on when facing tough situations. Many ancient scholars chose to live in seclusion in deep mountains surrounded by bamboo forests, where they drank wine, wrote poems or painted pictures while enjoying the beauty of nature. By leading such a simple life, they wanted to stay away from worldly affairs. Su Dongpo, a famous writer of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), wrote in his poem, "I would rather eat no meat than live without bamboo."
An idiom with bamboo
胸有成竹 (xiong1 you3 cheng2 zhu2) Heart Has Completed Bamboo
During the Northern Song Dynasty there lived a scholar named Wen Tong. He was very fond of bamboo. Often he would walk in the bamboo forest, carefully observing the way the bamboo grew, noting the way the branches and leaves stretched from the trunk and the details of growth during the four changing seasons. He became very familiar with bamboo. Closing his eyes he could imagine what the bamboo looked like. At home he would draw the bamboo. Wen Tong's drawings of bamboo became known far and wide. Many people came great distances to ask him to draw bamboo. Chao Buzhi was Wen Tong's closest friend. Often he and Wen Tong would drink wine and appreciate bamboo. Chao Buzhi's greatest pleasure was to watch his friend Wen Tong draw bamboo. There was a young man who wanted to learn how to draw bamboo like Wen Tong. He asked Chao Buzhi to tell him Wen Tong's secret. Chao Buzhi said: "When he draws bamboo, it's already traced in his heart. This is his unique talent."
Source
http://blog.163.com/twist123@126/blog/static/76255891201102010241325/