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Bamboo fans bamboo fanciers
There are several cultural personages in Chinese history and Yangzhou history, who are known for their fervent love of and being crazy about bamboo. The first historical figure is Wang
Huizhi, the great calligraphies of the Jin dynasty, whose love of bamboo became an addiction. One day, he pointed to a pole of bamboo, talking to others: “How could I bear to live even one day without this gentleman to keep me company?”, which has become a classic sentence through the ages and was frequently quoted by people having the same or different hobby.
The second figure is Su Dongpo, a great poet in the Song dynasty. How deep was his love of bamboo? His ragged verse might be an evidence. “I would rather have meals without meat than live in a house without bamboo, without meat, one will grow thin, without bamboo one will become vulgar.” He was willing to make his choice and sacrifice merely for his love of bamboo. It is said when someone read about this poem by Su
Dongpo, he made a very humorous comment on the former’s poem, saying: “If anyone who doesn’t want to become vulgar and grow thin, he’d better eat a bowl of pork with bamboo shoots braised in brown sauce.”
A third great lover of bamboo is Zheng Banqiao, one of the eight Yang Zhou Eccentrics. He planted, made research on, drew pictures of, chant poem of and talked about bamboo. Therefore all, his life and bamboo were inseparable as bady and shadow. His highest attainments in whatever respect such as his behavior, being on official and literary and artistic creation came from the inspiration and philosophic thinking given by bamboo. No wonder he was not willing to live in a house without bamboo grove and literary and artistic creation.
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