A diamond in the rough is exactly what it sounds like. It’s rough. It’s not beautiful. But with a little cut here, a little polish there and suddenly man has improved upon nature. But not everything Nature gives us needs improvement. Some things are not only perfect in their beauty, but are also beautifully and remarkably blessed in their utility. After coming to China, I now regard Bamboo as one of those things. Bamboo is truly one of Nature’s masterpieces. Its lasting relationship with the people of China is one of the most profound partnerships on the planet. For thousands of years bamboo has helped build, feed, symbolize and adorn one of the oldest Nations on Earth. For the Chinese, Bamboo has always been an integral part of their lives. With a solitary bamboo pole draped across their shoulders, the men and women of China have hauled earth and transformed mountains. From the pole on their shoulders, crops for centuries upon centuries have been planted, harvested and brought to market. From the market, the crops are taken home and turned into a meal, and are shoveled with relish into eager mouths. These mouths more often than not are being fed with chopsticks made of bamboo.
The uses the Chinese employ for bamboo is nearly limitless. It is used for scaffolding, for pipes and gutters, for furniture and dishes. It adorns houses and covers floors around the world, and can be found in the form of a woven mat on any sandy beach. It is used to make musical instruments, clothing, fans, pens, pencils and paintbrushes. And those very paintbrushes often depict scenes and studies of bamboo. It is used to build houses, sheds, and shelters of all kinds. It is burned as firewood and bamboo shoots are a popular and delicious meal. Of course, bamboo is also the staple food of the very animal that is the icon and the living symbol of China: the Giant Panda.
Aside from simply being one of the most useful resources to be found in China, Nature also blessed this weed of hers by making it infinitely serene. A bamboo forest is one of the most tranquil places man can escape to. It’s easy and pleasant to get lost in thought, and one can almost swear that these wispy tendrils of thought take visible form and float playfully amongst the delicate, feather-like branches of the bamboo. These forests whisper in much softer and flirtatious tones than the intimidating and dark mutters one finds getting heaved around in the forests of pine, oak, cedar and other woods populated by giants. The bamboo is smooth and beguiling and infinitely more seductive than any other shrub or tree. The air moves like water or a thick sweet syrup through this forest; it lingers longer on each leaf and gives the illusion that everything is in slow motion. The wind dances with this forest softly, and the movement is pronounced but fluid. It’s hard to know whether the wind takes more pleasure from these listless encounters, or whether the person lost in the moment does.
Summary: If you are ever in Anhui, China, visit the Mukong Bamboo forest. It’s where they shot the scenes for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and stunning as this forest was in the movie, it’s even more so in person. Remember, though man is a genius and has moments of grandeur and glory, Nature always wins in the beauty contest. And bamboo is one of her willowy supermodels.
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