ABSTRACT
While bamboo as plant and as material is present in all aspects of daily life, it also plays an important role in the public domain. Numerous historical documents, such as the annals of the final reigns of the country, prove its importance in this area. In this chapter, the plant will be considered in all its aspects: cultivation, use and by-products. Its polyvalence demonstrates its special place in imperial ritual, public celebrations, state bureaucracy, weaponry and defence. Texts in classical Chinese with full translations are presented in this chapter to demonstrate as far as possible the multiple facets and complexities of the plant. This close scrutiny of bamboo reveals the wide range of its uses as a plant and as a material. These official writings should be interpreted as recognition of the important role this modest plant plays in multiple domains.
