Fairy tales are not relegated to Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella in their stone fortresses. For centuries, legends have circulated in Asia about the various religious temples and statues that dot the landscape.

And one such legend is found deep within a bamboo forest.

The famous Buddhist Qiongzhu (Bamboo) Temple is located on the beautiful wooded Yu’an Mountain seven miles northwest of Kunmin. The temple is surrounded by a mysterious legend and a thick beautiful bamboo forest.

As the legend goes, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), two brothers of royal lineage were hunting in the hills outside Kunming.  They spotted a bizarre rhinoceros. With hopes of capturing it, they followed the rhinoceros deep into the woods of Yu’an Mountain where the magical animal suddenly disappeared. Just as they lost sight of the rhinoceros, the brothers saw a group of monks who were unlike any monks they had seen before. When the monks saw the brothers, they vanished in clouds leaving only their walking sticks planted in the ground. By the following day, these walking sticks had become an entire bamboo forest. The amazed brothers knew that they had met enlightened, supernatural beings and, in order to honor them, they built Qiongzhu Temple in the forest of bamboo.

However wondrous that story is, it’s not historically accurate.  Accounts of the Qiongzhu Temple date back to the Song Dynasty.  But it was during the Yuan Dynasty (around 1280) that a highly renowned monk reputed to have learned Buddhism from central China gave his teachings that brought great fame to the temple as a spiritual center.  After a devastating fire, the Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty rebuilt the temple by adding five pavilions during the late 1880′s.

And while the temple is a beautiful structure, the most outstanding feature is the distinguished, finely crafted statues of 500 Luohans (‘enlightened ones’) sculpted by the brilliant artist Li Guangxiu.  Regarded as ‘a pearl in the treasure house of oriental sculpture’, these statues stand throughout the pavilions and some within the bamboo forest itself.  They are life-sized and impressively realistic as Li Guangxius and his apprentices spent many years studying people and how their personalities shown through their physical features.

After seven years of study and work, this immense undertaking was completed. Each of these statues represents another aspect of human life with such accuracy and skill, and look like real people who are just frozen in a moment in time.

These Luohans, which are not ornately decorated, depict seemingly common people in the midst of ordinary lives and feelings. The appearances of the old and the young, the sick and the healthy, the skilled and the unskilled, the strong and the emaciated, the beautiful and the ugly, the wealthy and the poor, with expressions of joy, anger, laughter, grief, amusement, satisfaction, hunger, delight, sadness, compassion, serenity, curiosity, surprise, boredom, and contemplation are extremely vivid. Each Luohan is unique and expresses its own singular inner character. It is said that if you pick a Louhan and count them to the right when you reach your age, you will find the Louhan that depicts your inner character. Each of the 500 Louhans is a beautiful work of art and collectively they are awe-inspiring.

Inside the temple are numerous inscriptions and couplets on columns and tablets. These inscriptions date back to the 1200′s and give us glimpses into the life and culture of those times. Other notable features of the Qiongzhu Temple include: the statues of Four Guardian Kings in the entrance hall; the three large statues of Buddha in the main temple building and two majestic 450-year-old cypress trees that stand in the forecourt. Walking around the grounds and through the bamboo forest, the world and its problems fade away and the gentle beauty of life re-emerges.

Surrounded by the beautiful bamboo forest, the Qiongzhu Temple is a restorative and peaceful place to visit that offers natural, artistic and cultural insight for all visitors.

For more on bamboo wonders throughout the world, visit Green Earth New’s section on Bamboo Marvels.

Bamboo is so versatile, it is quickly climbing to the top of the charts as a favorite in the textile industry for it’s superb comfort. You might want to try cozy bamboo socks, bamboo shirts, bamboo apparel, bamboo underwear or a sexy bamboo dress!

Asian Legend: A Fortress In The Bamboo is a post from: Green Earth News

“From bamboo section to thin bamboo strips, it all depends on the knife in the hand of a craftsman.”

And one such craftsman has taken the art of bamboo weaving  to a whole new level.

Danish architect Soren Korsgaard designed a bamboo house to promote bamboo as a sustainable building material.  And while many have used bamboo poles to construct, what makes Korsgaard’s design so unusual and eye-catching is that the house is not quite constructed.  Rather, it is a woven bamboo house.

For centuries bamboo weaving has provided everything from kitchenware to farm tools and the craft is a sacred one that is passed down from generation to generation.   The uses of bamboo and its resources were explored as early as seven thousand years ago.  In China, certain areas such as Jiang’an and Dongyang are well known for the bamboo weaving.  These areas, rich in bamboo, have fostered a distinctive tradition of choosing bamboo-related jobs.

The craft of bamboo weaving was one that was passed on from master to apprentice.  Apprentices usually spent three years training, beginning by simple repairs of products and graduating to their intricate designs.  To practice their handmade craft, bamboo craftsmen cleaved the bamboos into flat or thin bamboo strips of different sizes.  According to the product that is being made, bamboo was cut into sections and split into vertical halves.  The bamboo joints were then smoothed out and the halves were cleaved into strips.  Afterwards, the green scarfskin and inner yellow surface were removed and the strips were cut into thinner strips, layer by layer.  The strips could be divided into seven or eight layers.  After this basic procedure, there were a variety of ways to go depending on the product design.  Boiling might be required to finalize the shape and to soften the strips so they wouldn’t crack when they went through the plane.  The strips were put through a plane to ensure the same thickness and width.  Additionally, dyeing, plating and polishing procedures could be applied to the bamboo strips.

However, as important as bamboo weaving is in the keeping of traditions, it was modern weaving techniques that allowed Korsgaard to design his unique and eco-friendly home.   His woven house is an attempt to take the tradition of bamboo weaving and use it in modern architecture in a much larger scale than has been done before.  Because of the unique flexibility and strength of bamboo, the walls, floors and ceilings of this house flow into one continuous surface giving one an unique architectural experience.  To make this home as eco-friendly as possible, it should be constructed onsite in a region where there is a tradition of weaving so as to avoid the pollution of transport.

And while we might be lacking in masters to teach the art of bamboo weaving, perhaps we can take a lesson from the birds as Korsgaard did. His intent was to build the house as the birds did, weaving their nests from the materials available to build a home for themselves.

For more on how bamboo is being used throughout the world, visit Green Earth News section on Bamboo Trends.

Bamboo is such an incredible resource, its remarkable qualities have made it ever so popular in the textile industry as well. From bamboo socks to bamboo clothes for men and bamboo clothing for women, its soft absorbent characteristics make it a desirable fabric choice.

Eco-friendly Housing: Weaving A Nest Of Our Own is a post from: Green Earth News

While bamboo is a traditional staple in ancient art, it has gone largely unrepresented in modern artistry.  In East Asia, ancient Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples were often decorated with carved bamboo shoots and Zen paintings featuring the bamboo plant but modern artists veered towards oils on canvas or hard metals for their work.

One reason that we have seen little of bamboo and other organic materials used in the world of high art is that artwork is perceived as needing to be permanent.  But many contemporary artists have come to accept the fact of art’s ephemeral nature.  If nothing truly lasts, then what’s the point of trying to defy nature?  Sculpture and installation art does not have to be permanent anymore. It is more the experience of the creation and production of the art itself that matters.

Bamboo is a traditional material that modern artists are using because of its versatility and beauty.

One such artist is Gerard Minakawa who is renowned for his work with bamboo installations.  His bamboo structures have a rock star aesthetic and make unrepentant use of electric lighting and industrial contraptions.  So far, his most prominent work has been featured at Burning Man and the Coachella Music Festival.

His latest project is the Starry Bamboo Mandala, a new interpretation of an ancient legacy of sacred spaces.  Mandala, meaning “container of essence” in Sanskrit, symbolizes both a microcosm of the universe from the human perspective as well as spiritual centers of meditation.  As opposed to the traditional two-dimensional mandalas, this one has been translated into 3-dimensions.  Seen from above, the eight columns are arranged in a circular pattern on the ground, symbolizing an 8-spoked “wheel of life” as it is called in Buddhism.  By shifting the arrangement of the bamboo poles as they progress upwards through the structure, the wheel is transformed into a star polygon (an item frequently found in Islamic art.  And further up, the shift in poles creates the Star of Lakshmi (a prominent symbol in Hinduism).  The structure itself is 55 feet high and 55 feet wide.  Within the dimensions of the structure, there is a Fibonacci sequence of numbers which are common to art and architecture and give a nod to the fact that man’s earliest inclination was to create.  They reinforce a certain sense of harmony and intelligence that is found in nature and interpreted in such ancient monuments as the Pyramids of Giza and Machu Picchu.

Minakawa chooses bamboo as the principal material because “it represents the very best in alternative ways of living and expressing oneself:  is both strong, light, and incredibly flexible; is multifunctional and highly renewable to the point of being indispensable in cultures ranging from Latin America to Asia; it exudes a curious mixture of humble abandon and dignified poise.”

Another artist exploring the use of bamboo in his work is sculptor and committed environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy.  Using a variety of natural materials, he creates outdoor sculptures that form a sympathetic contact with the natural world.  Before they disappear, he records them with stunning photographs.  He has no desire to leave his mark on a landscape but rather, he wants to work with it instinctively.  He uses bamboo shoots and poles that are already fallen and weaves them to create delicately precise structures that are man-made but feel natural.

In his own words:  “I need the shock of touch, the resistance of place, materials and weather, the earth as my source.  I want to get under the surface.  When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just that material itself, it is an opening into the processes of life within and around it.  When I leave it, these processes continue.”

Of course, these artists may surprise themselves with the permanency of the resilient bamboo plant.  In 100 years or so, their bamboo works may be the new ancient art.

Bamboo is so versatile, it has become the ultimate luxury textile source. Try the most comfortable bamboo sheets, bamboo shirts, bamboo towels, bamboo clothing and bamboo socks at Green Earth Bamboo.

For more on the many uses of the bamboo plant, both practical and imaginative, visit the Green Earth News section on Bamboo Trends.

Modern Art, Traditional Material: Bamboo Sculptures is a post from: Green Earth News

Around the world, people have used music to express their faith and joy to a higher power.

In the Philippines, one such musical monument to God still exists and it’s beautiful music is created by bamboo.  In 1795, Padre Diego Cera was assigned to the town of Las Pinas in the Philippines. Cera, with his great love for music, previously built a piano-forte dedicated to the Queen of Spain and in 1798, he constructed a monumental organ for the church of his order in San Nicolas in Manila.  Among the 33 stops on the organ was one made of bamboo and that inspired the building of the Bamboo Organ in his own parish.  In 1824, the Bamboo Organ was completed and with the exception of the horizontal trumpets, it is made entirely of bamboo.

Cera chose to use bamboo not only because of its abundance in the Philippines but because of its ability to function in the humid Philippine climate.  The bamboo plant is malleable enough to construct with and also porous enough to contract with the humidity of the area.  And because of its material, organ enthusiasts and experts worldwide note that the bamboo organ has one of most distinctive sounds heard among organs.

While damaged by earthquakes, typhoons and the ravages of war, the bamboo organ has proved resilient.  In 1972, through efforts of the priests of St. Joseph’s parish, the entire instrument went through a major restoration.  Entirely dismantled and shipped, the organ was painstakingly rebuilt in Germany.  So detailed was the restoration that they recreated the climatic conditions of the Philippines to ensure the unique sound quality was preserved.  In March 1975, the Bamboo Organ made a triumphant return to the Philippines.  Now the St. Joseph Parish Church is the site of many live music festivals including the International Bamboo Festival.

Perhaps the best way to sum up the brilliance of this instrument is to borrow the words of a man who has seen the organ up close and in all its glory.

“Men have immortalized their names in paint and marble, but it was left for Padre Diego Cera to build to himself a monument in bamboo, and a more interesting and unique memorial could scarcely be found.

He came to the Philippines to build organs, and when he arrived, there was neither metal, nor suitable wood, nor tanned leather, nor wire, nor pipes, nor keys, nor anything else with which organs were usually made; but with a genius worthy of an eighteenth century Edison, he rose to the occasion and built an organ of bamboo.”

George Miller, 1912

Musical Instrument That Stands The Test of Time is a post from: Green Earth News

Transportation plays a key role in the advancement of societies.  Sumerians invented the wheel in 3500 BC to aid in the movement of heavy stone as they built their temples; Romans built a vast network of  roads across their Empire so soldiers could march and conquer more efficiently; Egyptians built ships to access more markets for trade and later on, canals were constructed to give more passage.  In the 1800s, America’s own Industrial Revolution was spurred on by expanded transportation including the Cumberland Road (now part of Interstate 40), the creation of the Steamboat, the opening of the Erie Canal and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

In Cambodia, a country destroyed by years of civil war and the Khmer Rouge reign, transportation is a struggle.  The French colonists created an intricate system of railroad lines to connect the plantations with their lucrative coffee and bananas to marketplaces.  But these lines and trains fell to waste after the Khmer Rouge banned the “ordinary” people from using them.  Now trains run infrequently in between the villages and the trips are long as break-downs and derailments are common.  The Cambodian Government promise an upgrade to the system but little has been done.  So, Cambodian villagers long ago took matters into their own hands and built the Bamboo Train.

Their choice of materials is an unusual combination of the strong and abundant bamboo that surrounds them and parts from abandoned military tanks.   Described as a “bamboo slab on wheels,” these trains sprung up in the late 70s where they were controlled by a series of levers and hand-cast controls.  They have since upgraded to wooden footbrakes and small motors that poured into the country, courtesy of the United Nations relief effort in the 1980s.

Simplicity is key for this train system.  They use the existing railroad tracks and spurs to travel.  When they meet another bamboo train on the tracks, whoever has the least passengers merely lifts their train off the track to let the other one by.  They keep a sharp ear out for the infrequent freight trains that come through and when they reach their destination, they simply pick the train up and turn it around to head back.

These bamboo trains, or “Norries” as they are called by locals, provide a link between villages, a way to get produce and animals to the market, a way to get lumber to building sites and a means of income for many as rich tourists pay up to $2/day to ride them.  In Cambodia, that can equal two months wages to most citizens.   A local village has even turned into a “little Detroit” and builds up to 10 trains a month for sale and use.  Not only are they building them, but they want to make them more beautiful to help encourage the tourists to ride them.

Necessity is the mother of invention and in a country that desperately needs (and wants) to rebuild itself, these bamboo trains are an ingenious solution.

Bamboo offers so many uses to so many countries, which is why we have created Bamboo’s Worldwide Impact section. From trains to bikes, bamboo loungewear and bamboo bedding to earthquake shelters, bamboo is a remarkable and sustainable resource.

For a firsthand and most fascinating look at bamboo train travel, check out this Bamboo Railway – Cambodia Video.

Travel by Bamboo Trains in Cambodia – True Ingenuity! is a post from: Green Earth News

Disasters bring out the best and worst in us. Greed and fear, generosity and courage are painted on the same canvas of history. A few years ago, Americans in New Orleans and other Gulf states were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Worse, the number of people who suffered needlessly because of our disjointed response and underestimation of the catastrophic impact on all the elements of society (especially the poor), became the main focus of the news.

Recently an earthquake destroyed thousands of homes and killed nearly a thousand people in West Sumatra. The Indonesian government and Indonesian Red Cross combined and coordinated swift responses to the disaster.

One of the first steps they took began even as rescue efforts continued. Food, medicine and temporary large tents which served as hospitals, and canteens arrived within hours and days. In the first 48 hours 1,500 family tents, 3,000 tarpaulins, 5,000 blankets and sleeping mats as well as 1000 hygiene kits were dispatched to the affected areas ⁽¹⁾.

The Red Cross learned from an earthquake that struck Central Java in 2006. The Javanese quickly erected 12,500 shelters out of bamboo, at a cost of approximately US $170 per unit. These shelters have a life of up to five years ⁽²⁾. Dependability, strength, and ease of construction sold both governments on the usefulness of bamboo.

The Red Cross has crews specially trained to build these bamboo shelters, and they plan to build an initial 3000 transitional bamboo shelters. The shelter kits will comprise corrugated iron (CGI) roofing sheets, a bamboo frame, woven bamboo wall matting, cement and salvaged bricks. The durable CGI – rather than plastic- sheets were requested by the government to contribute to post-emergency reconstruction.

The people most impacted are very self-sufficient, possessing a wide range of skills. Because of this IOM is also planning to distribute 3,500 individual tool kits – one for each family of five – and 700 community demolition and reconstruction toolkits in the two districts, which were among the worst affected by the quake.

Enlisting the victims makes them active shareholders in their futures. What a great concept. 

Perhaps in the rebuilding, governments can further empower their citizens by building a new economic opportunity with bamboo as a primary crop.  Bamboo products, from bamboo clothes to bamboo sheets, are in huge demand making it a prime opportunity for a ravaged area looking to rebuild.

1. Amril Amarullah. West Sumatra Earthquake. Jum’at, 23 Oktober 2009, 13:12 WIB.
2. Posted by Bob McKerrow.

Earthquake Preparedness with Bamboo Shelters is a post from: Green Earth News

“Bali High” – when I first heard that song from South Pacific, I thought Mama was singing about an exotic paradise for lovers.  Turns out the song might have been about one of the most progressive schools in Southeast Asia – possibly the world.

The Green School, located in the Rainforest of Bali combines first class standard education with instruction that enhances a respect for nature and an awareness of the relationship between man and the environment.

The school lets people know the goals and expectations for students fortunate enough to be accepted, and dedicated enough to meet the school’s challenges.  “Delivering a generation of global citizens who are knowledgeable about and inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world.”

Students and parents who read Green School’s philosophy know that the standard 19th Century curriculum and teaching styles won’t play well in the rainforests of Bali.   Dedicated parents and children from over eighty countries decided to commit to the school and its program.

Like all top notch schools, the most important component in student education is the quality of teachers.  The Green School teachers include a certified Steiner teacher and a PHD. Seven hold Masters Degrees, four have postgraduate teaching qualifications and 17 Bachelor Degrees. All 21 are qualified educators who are also engineers, psychologists, environmentalists, scientists, film, arts and media people, who are passionate about equipping with skills and appreciation of their role in our World.

This mutual commitment is rewarded by the Green School’s curriculum and physical campus.  High school students can choose to study for Cambridge IGCSE’s and planned IB diploma/certificate.  These are the same studies afforded to top scoring American students from the best schools.

Of course the Green School stresses Green Studies, which is enhanced by the school’s location.  Nestled deep in Bali’s rainforests, the architects and engineers have designed and built a green wonder for a campus.  Green School also owns a green thumb and grows its own food in its gardens.

The Green School campus works to have the lowest carbon footprint of any international school anywhere.   Built entirely of bamboo, it’s truly remarkable.  (Odds are good their uniforms are made from bamboo clothing and they sleep on bamboo sheets.) But it is far from some primitive outpost. There are even plans in the works to generate its own power from the river.

Curriculum, teachers, housing and environment combine to make Green School a home of tomorrow’s education today.  I only wish they offered college courses so my older daughter could attend.

Extraordinary Bamboo Green School Nestled in Bali’s Rainforest is a post from: Green Earth News

In the 1930’s Superman was nicknamed the “man of steel” because back then steel was considered to be the ultimate symbol of strength and durability. Today we’d be more likely to call him the “Man of Bamboo”.  With good reason.

In our 21st century scientists, architects, and builders have discovered the new steel for this age… bamboo.  Strange as it sounds, bamboos tensile strength and durability match or exceed steel. Our Superman would be proud of the new nickname when he learns of bamboo’s power and feats of strength.

Spanning the River Min in Saechuan is the largest suspension bridge in the world, held together entirely by bamboo cables.  Metal detectors won’t find any iron or nails on the entire bridge structure.  A bamboo bridge sounds far fetched until you learn how effectively the ancient and modern Chinese have harnessed the power of bamboo. Bamboo cables were the earliest structural element in the history of engineering to be used for suspension bridges, which originated in China and the Himalayas. A bamboo cable  2-inch diameter can support 4 tons and these ancient bridges spanned distances up to 76 meters without central supports.

AP Photo - William Fernando Martinez

Bridges aren’t the only structures where bamboo proves it strength.  “Anything built with steel, I can do in bamboo faster and just as cheaply,” said Colombian architect Simon Velez.  He should know, Velez created the largest bamboo structure ever built: the 55,200-square-foot Nomadic Museum, a temporary building that recently debuted in Mexico City and takes up half of the Zocalo, Latin America’s largest plaza.

Building is only part of bamboo’s wonders, durability is another. Jules Janssen was in Costa Rica in 1991 when a deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck. Touring the epicenter hours later, he found every brick and concrete building had collapsed.
“But 20 bamboo structures built there by coincidence held up marvelously. There wasn’t a single crack,” said Janssen, a civil engineer and expert on bamboo’s physical properties.

Bamboo proves its worth not just as a building material but as an inspirational design as well. Taipei is home to the tallest skyscraper in the world. The whole design is based on a bamboo shoot because of the Chinese belief system with bamboo.

Add versatility to bamboo’s list of talents, as displayed by the bamboo organ of Las Pinas built in 1824. This is definitely not a reed instrument, yet it creates a powerful musical voice. Bamboo is the key element in an organ that can  create notes light as air or make music that can pound your socks off.  (Speaking of socks, it’s interesting to note that though bamboo can make buildings of steel, it is also versatile enough to also produce luxuriously soft bamboo sheets and bamboo clothing!)

Superman might think “the man of steel” is catchier, but “the man of bamboo” is all about strength and style.

Bamboo, The New Superman is a post from: Green Earth News