Walking into the bamboo forest, looking at the green and tall bamboos all around, stretching straight into the sky, it is so spectacular! The human spirit is often refreshed.
?I like bamboo, and I thought I could plant a few. Since I didn’t have a garden, I dug a few phoenix bamboos in the mountains and planted them in flower pots. At first, the Phoenix tail bamboo came alive and grew a few small bamboo leaves. It may be that the pot is shallow and the bamboo roots cannot extend, so the leaves slowly wither, turn yellow and fall, and finally die.
? This is the only experience of growing bamboo. I understand that bamboo can only have vitality and momentum if it grows on the ground. I also understand that if you like bamboo, you don’t have to own bamboo. Everyone from ancient to modern times must appreciate bamboo, and that will be endless fun.
?Wang Huizhi, the son of the calligrapher Wang Xizhi, has a fondness for bamboo, which is passed down as an allusion. He planted all kinds of bamboos in the open space in front of and behind his house, including purple bamboo, light bamboo, sweet bamboo, Ruo bamboo, etc. Whenever he had free time, he immersed himself in the world of bamboo forest to cultivate his body and nature.
?Once, Wang Huizhi went to Suzhou for business and learned that there were many good bamboos planted in the courtyard outside the local government. Wang Huizhi went to see them. The officials were very happy to hear this and asked people to clean the house. The host prepared tea and wanted to receive Wang Huizhi. Wang Huizhi took a sedan chair and went directly to the courtyard to view bamboos. The owner thought that Wang Huizhi must have loved bamboo so much that he had forgotten the etiquette of visiting the owner. In order to prevent Wang Huizhi from leaving after seeing the bamboo, the master ordered his servant to close the door to remind Wang Huizhi that he wanted to meet his master. After Wang Huizhi admired the bamboo and couldn't get out of the gate, he remembered that he had not visited his master. Because of bamboo, Wang Huizhi and Yuan Wai later became good friends.
?Wang Huizhi’s passion for bamboo was enough to make him forget everything, including the red tape in life.
?Su Dongpo of the Northern Song Dynasty had a special liking for bamboo. He said: "You can eat without meat, but you can't live without bamboo. Without meat, you will be thin, and without bamboo, you will be vulgar." Meat and bamboo were both the favorites of Su Caizi. When living conditions did not allow him to make a choice, Su Dongpo chose bamboo. Not eating meat will only make you lose weight. Living without bamboo makes people become vulgar.
In Su Dongpo's eyes, bamboo should be a symbol of uprightness. This spirit allowed him to remain open-minded and optimistic despite being demoted three times. For example, due to the "Wutai Poetry Case", Su Dongpo was demoted to Huangzhou. He claimed to be an idler and recited: "The courtyard is like accumulated water, empty and clear, with algae and cypresses in the water, covered with bamboo and cypress shadows!"
?Zhang Chao of the Qing Dynasty also loved bamboo and was very knowledgeable about it.
? He said that the plan for the year is to plant bamboo. Plant a few bamboo trees in spring. After a few years, it will reward you with a bamboo forest.
He believes that the shape of bamboo must have stone, and the stone must be thin to set off the bamboo.
? He thinks bamboo is very charming and a symbol of Confucian spirit. The charm of bamboo can be seen with your eyes. How to explain the Confucianism and Taoism of bamboo? Bamboo is the embodiment of benevolence. Their roots underground are connected to each other, but their branches above ground are separated from each other. They are interdependent and independent, leaving room for each other to grow.
?Guo Shangxian of the Qing Dynasty wrote an article "Bamboo Cutting Notes", which tells the story of a friend named Zhang who planted more than a dozen bamboos in the courtyard. The bamboos were twisted and deformed because they were entangled by vines. There was a storm, and the bamboo stretched tight by the vines was like a bow. The wind blew violently, and the bamboo swept down the friend's courtyard wall. The friend was so angry that he cut down all the bamboos. Guo Shangxian said this about the reason for being cut down: "If the vines are attached and cannot be removed, they will lose their straightness and be cut down."
How innocent these bamboos are. They have no arms or legs, so how can they resist the clinging of vines? Some scholars also believe that bamboo has lost its nature and become like vines. I always feel that this statement is too far-fetched.
?I love bamboo, just like the literati of all ages.
In my eyes, bamboos are straight and straight. If they are bent, it is because the external force exceeds the weight that their lives can bear.