This book is a detailed and comprehensive examination of the physical, symbolic and cultural uses of bamboo in China, where it has long had a ubiquitous presence in all aspects of the lives of the Chinese people: how and what they eat, what they wear, where they live, how they travel, as well as their productive activities, writing, religion, art and philosophy. The authors adopt the theoretical methods of culturology, axiology and semiotics to understand the implications and characteristics of bamboo within traditional Chinese culture. Based on the diachronic and synchronic coordinates, the authors present the multidimensional structure of China’s bamboo culture from the micro-, meso- and macro-perspectives. The book combines a rich body of literature and field investigation reports with indepth and systematic theoretical analysis and interpretation. Together with around two-hundred illustrations, the authors hope to explain the profound in simple terms in this academic monograph.
