When winter comes, most plants lose their leaves. But bamboo does not.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It can grow 60 cm or more every day. No matter how strong the wind or heavy the snow is in winter, bamboo stands straight and grows fast. Chinese people see this as bamboo's spirit. It is about being brave enough to overcome difficulties. Because of this, bamboo has been loved by Chinese people for a long time. They call bamboo, along with the pine tree and plum blossoms, the "three cold-resistant friends of winter".
Bamboo is a common plant in China. It has many uses in our daily lives. Bamboo is used to make household goods such as chopsticks, baskets and even furniture. Its young shoots (笋) are also cooked into all kinds of food. Bamboo is also the main food of the giant panda.
Bamboo is very useful in art. Because it is naturally hollow (中空的), bamboo is a good choice for musical instruments. There are many kinds of bamboo flutes all over the world, such as the dizi and xiao in China.
You can see bamboo in many famous movies, too. For example, in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Zhang Ziyi and Chow Yun-fat fly and fight on bamboo branches. And there is also lots of bamboo in the animated movie Kung Fu Panda.
