Bamboo in Chinese Culture 　中国文化里的竹子

China is known as the Kingdom of Bamboo because it has the most bamboo of any country in the world. More than 400 species of bamboo， one third of all known species in the world， grow in China. The areas that produce the most bamboo are south of Yangtze River.

中国是世界上竹子最多的国家，有“竹子王国”的美称。中国种植着超过400种竹子，占世界上已知竹子种类的三分之一。竹子产量最多的地区位于长江以南。

Bamboo was closely connected with the daily lives of people in ancient China. Su Dongpo， a literary giant of the Song Dynasty， said that people could not live without bamboo， and people of the time used bamboo as firewood and to make tiles， paper， rafts， hats， rain capes， and shoes.

在中国古代，竹子与人们的日常生活密切相关。宋朝的大文学家苏东坡曾说：不可居无竹。当时的人们用竹子作为柴火，做竹片、纸、竹筏、帽子、雨篷和鞋。

ln the Han Dynasty， bamboo was used for papermaking because it produced high-quality paper and was inexpensive： three tons of bamboo could yield one ton of paper pulp. And bamboo is still an important raw material for papermaking today. Some 1，600 years ago， people wrote with brushes on xuan paper made from young bamboo， and xuan paper is still popular for Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

在漢代，竹子被用于造纸，因为用它可以生产高质量的纸张，而且价格低廉：3吨竹子可以生产1吨纸浆。竹子仍是当今造纸的重要原料。大约1600年前，人们就用毛笔在嫩竹子做的宣纸上写字，而宣纸至今在中国的书法和绘画中仍然很受欢迎。

Tall and graceful with luxuriant foliage， bamboo is an ideal plant for household courtyards and parks. It tolerates the heat of summer and the cold of winter， and it regenerates after being cut.

竹子高挺优美，枝叶繁茂，是家庭庭院和公园的理想植物。它能忍受夏季的炎热和冬季的寒冷，被砍伐后又能再生。

Throughout the centuries， bamboo has inspired the imagination of artists， while men of letters have written poetry and prose to express their admiration for the purity and elegance of bamboo. They compared the qualities of bamboo to those of man， and Su Dongpo attributed his literary inspiration to bamboo. Bamboo was also a favorite subject of noted Chinese painters of past dynasties.

近千年以来，竹子激发了艺术家们的想象力，而文人则通过写诗和散文来表达他们对竹子的纯洁和优雅的钦佩。他们将竹子的品质与人类的品质进行了比较。苏东坡将他的文学灵感归因于竹子。竹子也是中国古代著名画家喜爱的题材。

Word Bank

yield /ji?ld/ v. 出产（作物）；产生（效益）

The research has yielded useful information.

inspire /?n'spa??（r）/ v. 激励；鼓舞

The actors enthusiasm inspired the kids.

attribute /?'tr?bju?t/ v. 把……归因于；认为……是由于

She attributes her success to hard work and a little luck.