Breathing new energy into bamboo culture

CHENGDU — While China's newly unveiled recommendations for formulating the next five-year plan chart courses for sectors like solar energy, wind energy and new materials, they also set the stage for rejuvenating the nation's ancient bamboo culture.

In tandem with this national strategy emphasizing environmental protection, the world's largest natural bamboo forest, a filming location for the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has unveiled its own development road map focusing on boosting ecological conservation and traditional culture.

Through ongoing ecological upgrades, the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea in Yibin, Sichuan province, will not only expand its tourism and industrial sectors but also actively promote bamboo culture, fostering a deeper global understanding of Chinese civilization.

Spanning 120 square kilometers, the park is home to 485 bamboospecies — one-quarter of the world's total — set against a diverse landscape of mountains, lakes, limestone caves and waterfalls.

This bamboo forest has stood for generations, its true origins unknown even to the locals. According to folklore, it was created by a fairy banished to the mortal world.

The area has been developed as a tourist site since the 1980s. Visitors stepping into this primeval bamboo forest are greeted by a lush sea of green and refreshingly clean air, offering an almost ethereal escape in a natural oxygen bar.

They can also visit the filming location where the male and female protagonists take part in the legendary kung fu fight on the tips of bamboo, showcasing typical Chinese aesthetics.

In 2008, director Zhang Yimou came to the site to film the bamboo sea for the promotional video of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, highlighting it as one of the country's most beautiful landscapes.

According to Shen Mei, a staff member of the tourist site, this forest tells stories of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

In Sichuan, this versatile plant serves not only as a food source for giant pandas but also as a vital material for local life. Chopsticks, bowls, baskets, chairs, beds and even houses made from bamboo are all on display at the bamboo-themed museum near the park's entrance.

Villagers have been living in the bamboo forest for generations, and they still live in the park. Now these communities thrive on a tourism-based economy, primarily through homestays, local specialty products and snack shops.

The park exhibits intangible cultural heritage centered on bamboo, featuring traditional crafts from carving to weaving, alongside the culinary culture of the "all-bamboo banquet".

For three millennia, bamboo has been woven into the fabric of Chinese civilization. Its physical form and its remarkable resilience have made it a timeless symbol of humility, integrity and tenacity.

Ancient Chinese artists created countless paintings and poems featuring bamboo as their main theme, celebrating the profound bond between the Chinese people and this enduring plant.

Bamboo also offers significant advantages as a fast-growing, biodegradable biomaterial that can be harvested annually thanks to its short growth cycle, making it a promising alternative to plastic across numerous sectors. Moreover, bamboo forests play a crucial role in water retention and carbon capture.

The scenic area also plans to partner with professional bodies to build creative platforms and host regular cultural activities, including bamboo instrument performances and forest theater. Interactive workshops on crafts such as bamboo carving and flute-making will further help transmit this heritage to future generations.

Bamboo culture is also shaping Yibin's skylines. As night falls, neon lights bathe the bamboo shoot-shaped buildings in a dreamlike, futuristic glow, creating a powerful visual metaphor for the enduring legacy of bamboo culture and its dynamic progression into the future.

Xinhua