China is known as the Kingdom of Bamboo. More than 400 species of bamboo, one third of all known species in the world, grow in China. China (lead) the world in the amount of area planted with bamboo, the number of bamboo trees and the amount of bamboo wood (produce) every year.
The oldest bamboo(article) in China were unearthed from the remains of a primitive society that existed some 7,000 years ago in is now Hemudu, Yuyao County, Zhejiang Province. As early as the Shang Dynasty, Chinese people used the bamboo for making weapons ,，such as bows and arrows. Before paper(invent), strips of bamboo were the most important writing medium, more widely used than silk, they were cheaper, resistant to corrosion (腐蚀)，and more abundant. Bamboo has thus played an important part in the spread and development of traditional Chinese culture.
Bamboo was(close) connected with the daily lives of people in ancient China. Su Dongpo, a literary giant of the Song Dynasty, said that people could not livebamboo, and people of the time used bamboo (make) paper, hats, shoes and so on. At that time, as today, bamboo shoots were eaten as a popular dish because of (they) crispness and fresh, sweet taste. Bamboo shoots also contain vitamins, sugar, fat, and protein.
