Elegance&Bamboo Bonsai

摘要

Bamboo has played a major role in Chinese culture, and carries a close relationship with ancient Chinese civilization. Shennong, a legendary ruler of ancient China, tested hundreds of herbs in order to learn their medicinal qualities, and discovered that bamboo has various remedial attributes. He also began to use bamboo to make farm tools. Leizu, the legendary Chinese empress who discovered silk, and created sericulture and the silk loom in the 27th century BC, used bamboo trays to raise silkworms.Cang-jei, one of the sole pioneers behind the creation of Chinese characters, who claimed to be an official historian of the Emperor, used a bamboo notebook to record historical events. It is apparent that bamboo has always been an integral part of the development of Chinese culture. Su Dongpo, a Chinese writer, poet, and painter of the Song Dynasty, once said: "I eat bamboo shoots, shelter under bamboo roofs, am transported via bamboo rafts, cook with bamboo utensils, wear bamboo-woven clothes, read bamboo books, write on bamboo paper, walk in bamboo shoes—I truly cannot live a day without bamboo." Bamboo grows tall and straight, and the innermost regions of the stem are hollow, symbolizing uprightness, tenacity and the hollow heart ("humble" in Chinese) of human character. In Chinese culture, the bamboo, plum blossom, orchid and chrysanthemum are collectively referred to as the "Four Gentlemen" in Confucian ideology. The pine, the bamboo and the plum blossom are together known as the "Three Friendsof Winter," due to their perseverance under harsh winter conditions. Su Dongpo advocated that plum, bamboo, and stone, instead of pine, are the "Three Good Friends." We can clearly see that bamboo plays is prevalent in traditional Chinese culture. Fromthe ancient Chinese poets who wrote poems about bamboo to all the people who plant bamboo in their gardens to enjoy the natural beauty of life, bamboo has shaped much of the history and civilization of the Chinese people.