5. Availability and potential use of bamboo resources

Bamboos are multipurpose plants of high economic and environmental value. Bamboo is one of the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) that has considerable potential as a wood substitute because of its high growth rate, good mechanical properties, and broad range of applications, especially in industrial fields. Bamboo has become a high-tech industrial raw material and substitute for wood.

Figure 2. Uses of bamboo: (a) Bamboo wine—bamboo wine is an original ecological food with zero contamination and is produced by injecting the finest sorghum wine into a young bamboo pole. After 3 years of brewing, the natural essence of wine is produced; (b) bamboo straw hat is made of woven bamboo leaves and wicker. The hat is sturdy and beautifully designed; (c) back basket—this backpack is a clothing worn by Huayao Dai minority endemic to Yunnan. This basket is worn at the back, can be decorated, and can hold small things. It has a role in beautification; (d) bamboo flute—the flute is a popular musical instrument in Chinese classical music and is made of natural bamboo; (e) bamboo pendant—Chinese words or pictures are engraved in these pendants for good luck; (f) bamboo shoot—bamboo shoot is used in Chinese traditional dishes and has a long history of eating and cultivation; and (g) bamboo charcoal—bamboo charcoal is widely used as fuel because it cannot be easily burned. Bamboo charcoal is also widely used in food, cooking, baking, storage, and preservation.

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According to data collected in this chapter, China contains the most abundant and diverse bamboo forest worldwide. A total of 861 species and infraspecific taxa belonging to 43 genera have been reported and include 707 species, 52 varieties, 98 forma, and 4 hybrids, which are naturally distributed in 21 provinces in China. The national bamboo forest area is 6.01 million ha, which include 4.43 million ha of Moso bamboo and 1.58 million ha of other bamboo species. The bamboo forest is mainly distributed in 18 provinces and mostly comprises Moso bamboo.

Bamboo shoots are used as traditional food by the Chinese people. The shoots can be used to make up for the nutrient deficiencies in the diet because of their nutritional and therapeutic values [13]. There are about more than 50 species of bamboo shoots used in China. Among them, the cultivation area is large, the number of shoots is high, and the bamboo shoots which are of good quality are available such as P. edulis, P. dulcis, D. latiflorus, D. hamiltonii, Chimonobambusa

Bamboo can do some kind of woven material because of the long bamboo fiber and good tenacious, thus all kinds of bamboo can used for weaving. People use bamboo to weave basket, table, and chairs. Neosinocalamus affinis is the most widely cultivated bamboo, which is used to weave. Other bamboo varieties such as Ph. nigra. var. henonis, Bambusa textilis, B. chungii, and so

Bamboo has a tensile strength of 28,000 per square inch, which is higher than that (23,000 per square inch) of steel and is thus an essential material for structures that can withstand earthquake. Bamboo is also used to construct buildings. In remote southern mountains of China, some ethnic minorities live in bamboo houses. Bamboos are used as roofs and walls of houses, fences, domestic, and agricultural implements, such as water containers, food, and drink container hats, arrows, quiver, etc. The Chinese people eat bamboo shoots, which are a good source of dietary fiber and have low fat content and calories. Fresh, dried, canned, and flavored shoots are consumed as delicacies. In fact, bamboo shoot as food was used traditionally by tribal communities worldwide. To enhance the application of bamboo shoots, scholars have investigated them as food in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and other Asian countries and have developed several commercially available products in the market [15]. Figure 2 shows

Bamboos are multipurpose plants of high economic and environmental value. Bamboo is one of the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) that has considerable potential as a wood substitute because of its high growth rate, good mechanical properties, and broad range of applications, especially in industrial fields. Bamboo has become a high-tech industrial raw material

According to data collected in this chapter, China contains the most abundant and diverse bamboo forest worldwide. A total of 861 species and infraspecific taxa belonging to 43 genera have been reported and include 707 species, 52 varieties, 98 forma, and 4 hybrids, which are naturally distributed in 21 provinces in China. The national bamboo forest area is 6.01 million ha, which include 4.43 million ha of Moso bamboo and 1.58 million ha of other bamboo species. The bamboo forest is mainly distributed in 18 provinces and mostly comprises Moso bamboo.

quadrangularis, and so on [14].

138 Bamboo - Current and Future Prospects

on are also good weaving materials.

4. The traditional utilization

some of the products made of bamboo.

and substitute for wood.

5. Availability and potential use of bamboo resources

Figure 2. Uses of bamboo: (a) Bamboo wine—bamboo wine is an original ecological food with zero contamination and is produced by injecting the finest sorghum wine into a young bamboo pole. After 3 years of brewing, the natural essence of wine is produced; (b) bamboo straw hat is made of woven bamboo leaves and wicker. The hat is sturdy and beautifully designed; (c) back basket—this backpack is a clothing worn by Huayao Dai minority endemic to Yunnan. This basket is worn at the back, can be decorated, and can hold small things. It has a role in beautification; (d) bamboo flute—the flute is a popular musical instrument in Chinese classical music and is made of natural bamboo; (e) bamboo pendant—Chinese words or pictures are engraved in these pendants for good luck; (f) bamboo shoot—bamboo shoot is used in Chinese traditional dishes and has a long history of eating and cultivation; and (g) bamboo charcoal—bamboo charcoal is widely used as fuel because it cannot be easily burned. Bamboo charcoal is also widely used in food, cooking, baking, storage, and preservation.

Although Yunnan has only 110.4 thousand ha of bamboo forest, it has the most diverse bamboo species (220 species), with many rare and endangered bamboo species. This province is one of the world's center of bamboo distribution. Bamboo forests can be divided into three types, namely cool temperate bamboo forests, warm and temperate bamboo forests, and hot bamboo forests. Different types of bamboos have various uses, commercial values, and ecological functions. Bamboo plays an immense role in the development of Chinese historical culture and the formation of Chinese ideology.

people's production and life, in clouding clothes, foodstuff, lodging, transport, and tools. In the future, the bamboo industry will be one of the pillar industries of the southern mountainous area's economic development; in addition, more than 80% of the bamboo forests in China are located at the source of river system, playing an important ecological function of soil and water conservation. Therefore, how to rationally protect and utilize the abundant bamboo

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This work was financially supported by the 13th Five-Year Science and Technology Support Issues (2016YFD0600902, 2016YFD0600903), the National Scientific Foundation (31660173), the Key Project of Yunnan Provincial Education Department (515006009), and the Southwest

2 International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan Key Laboratory of Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing,

[1] Mitch D, Harries KA, Sharma B. Characterization of splitting behavior of bamboo culms. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 2010;22(11):1195-1199. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)

[2] Zhou G, Meng C, Jiang P, Xu Q. Review of carbon fixation in bamboo forests in China.

[3] Pérez MR, Rodriguez LG, Yang X, Xie J, Fu M. From basic raw material goods to cultural and environmental services: The Chinese bamboo sophistication path. Ecology and Soci-

[4] Fu JH. Chinese Moso bamboo: Its importance. Bamboo. The Magazine of The American

[5] Guo QR, Yang GY, Du TZ, Shi JM. Carbon character of Chinese bamboo forest. World

Botanical Review. 2011;77(3):262-270. DOI: 10.1007/s12229-011-9082-z

ety. 2014;19(4):10. DOI: 10.5751/ES-06701-190403

, Meng Wang<sup>1</sup> and Guanglu Liu<sup>2</sup>

resources in China will be a major problem to be solved in the future.

, Fang Wang<sup>1</sup>

1 Forestry College, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China

Forestry University Talents Project 2012BAD23B04).

\*Address all correspondence to: weiyiliu651@126.com

\*, Chaomao Hui<sup>1</sup>

MT.1943-5533.0000120

Bamboo Society. 2000;22(5):5-7

Bamboo & Rattan. 2005;3(3):25-28

Acknowledgements

Author details

Weiyi Liu<sup>1</sup>

China

References

China has made a breakthrough in the development and scientific cultivation of bamboo. At present, China ranks first in bamboo research worldwide, because of its numerous bamboo research units and strong technical force. A bamboo research institute has been established in China Academy of Forestry Sciences, Southwest Forestry University, Nanjing Forestry University, Zhejiang Academy of Forestry, Jiangxi Academy of Forestry, and other forestry research institutions. In this chapter, we introduced the "International Bamboo and Rattan Center." The main duties and tasks of this center are as follows: to set up a national key laboratory for biological technology and material processing and utilization; to conserve bamboo and rattan; to build a world bamboo gene library; and to conduct international technology cooperation on bamboo resource protection, cultivation, material research, and development. In addition, many of the key bamboo timber-producing provinces and counties and large bamboo handicraft factories have set up a group of full-time staff engaged in bamboo science and technology work. Bamboo research covers a wide range of topics including the classification of germplasm resources, the application of bamboo, and the improvement in the aspects of high-yield cultivation, processing, and utilization [16].

Scholars must focus on discovering plants/crops that can be used as a new energy resource, particularly renewable energy. Energy development and utilization have become inevitable for sustainable development of economy and society. At present, China has limited energy supply, which is much lower than the world average supply of only 19.4% [17]. Bamboo is a renewable resource with many uses and may be considered as a lignocellulose substrate for bioethanol production because of its environmental benefits and high annual biomass yield [18]. Biological bamboo resources are mainly used in two ways. First, bamboos are used as raw materials in bioethanol production. Second, bamboos are used as raw materials for power generation [17]. The use of bamboos as new raw materials for energy supply in the bioenergy industry has opened up novel strategies and growth points for the development of the bamboo industry. Using bamboos to provide bioenergy is an important area to be explored in the future. This phenomenon requires careful and strategic planning based on adequate knowledge on the availability and potential use of bamboo resources for society and environment and on their production and growth behavior [19].

#### 6. Conclusion

China has the most abundant bamboo resources worldwide and the richest bamboo culture. Bamboo greatly influences not only the Chinese history and culture but also every aspect of people's production and life, in clouding clothes, foodstuff, lodging, transport, and tools. In the future, the bamboo industry will be one of the pillar industries of the southern mountainous area's economic development; in addition, more than 80% of the bamboo forests in China are located at the source of river system, playing an important ecological function of soil and water conservation. Therefore, how to rationally protect and utilize the abundant bamboo resources in China will be a major problem to be solved in the future.
