Taiwan straddles the Tropic of Cancer and should naturally be hot across the entire island. However, its location at a tectonic plate boundary has created towering mountains, resulting in a diverse climate. This has also allowed various regions to develop distinct lifestyles based on their local conditions, connecting different bamboo species with the lives of ethnic groups within their respective environments.<\/p>\n
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Do you still think bamboo was brought by the Han Chinese? Don't be silly, Taiwan has quite a few native species; moreover, bamboo already existed in the creation legends of Taiwan's indigenous peoples. In the Nanwang system of the Puyuma people, there is a legend describing that at the very beginning of ancient times, a goddess holding bamboo emerged from the sea, and the bamboo in her hands split into a male and a female, forming a \"birth from bamboo\" origin myth.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Taiwan's native alpine arrow bamboo has long been used by indigenous peoples in architecture, cuisine, and even the protection of their homelands. Indigenous groups across Taiwan have a tradition of using arrow bamboo to make arrows. As a cultural distinction from the arrow-making practices of the Han Chinese, current indigenous archery competitions in Taiwan even require participants to use arrows made from arrow bamboo in order to compete.<\/p>\n
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In Taiwan's Han cultural beliefs, bamboo artifacts are frequently found. During various regional Taoist rituals (Jiao festivals), bamboo poles are often used as sacrificial flags. Taiwanese Han funeral traditions also feature rituals of summoning the soul using bamboo branches. The straight and pristine imagery of bamboo poles is thus connected into these beliefs.<\/p>\n
Besides this, Taiwan's bamboo culture is also inseparable from the ritual implements that evolved from traditional life within Han Chinese culture. The bamboo shields frequently seen in Tainan's zhentou troupes are a prime example. The zhentou performances commonly staged at temple fairs originally served as a type of military training in the lives of early settlers. Our forebears practiced combat techniques by holding shields and wielding blades, and the shields they held were made of bamboo. Because bamboo shields are sturdy yet lightweight and easy to handle, they can be found in both the Songjiang and Jinshi arrays.<\/p>\n
During the Ming and Qing dynasties in Taiwan, where the saying \"armed conflicts turn into gold\" prevailed, clashes and encroachment among various ethnic groups were frequent. In an era when metal was difficult to obtain, bamboo shields made of bamboo could be said to be powerful weapons against enemies.<\/p>\n
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In terms of culinary culture, Taiwan is also one of the few bamboo-producing regions in the world that consumes bamboo shoots. In Southeast Asia and Central and South America, which also produce bamboo, due to differences in native bamboo species, the local populations do not consume bamboo shoots\u2014which are actually bamboo seedlings\u2014unlike Taiwan and Japan.<\/p>\n
Research suggests that bamboo shoots have a history of over a thousand years. In Erya, the oldest Chinese glossary, bamboo shoots are recorded as \"zhu meng,\" meaning the new sprouts born from bamboo. Later, in Shuowen (Shuoshu), this was extended to \"zhu tai\" (bamboo fetus), \"zhu ya\" (bamboo bud), and \"zhu sun\" (bamboo shoot), showing that Han Chinese people recognized the growth method of bamboo shoots and knew how to eat them from a very early time.<\/p>\n
In Taiwan, most Han Chinese living in low-altitude areas enjoy winter bamboo shoots produced by moso bamboo in the winter, and green bamboo and ma bamboo shoots during the spring and summer, while the arrow bamboo eaten by indigenous peoples grows at higher altitudes, making it practically a dream ingredient for the Han Chinese in the past. Beyond being used as food ingredients, bamboo was also utilized as tableware.<\/p>\n
Rice dumplings, a must-eat food for the Han Chinese during the Dragon Boat Festival, are wrapped using two types of bamboo in Taiwan. One is the moso bamboo (Dendrocalamus latiflorus) leaf, which is bluish-green and softer, and is commonly used for dumplings cooked by steaming. The other is makino bamboo sheaths (bamboo culm sheaths). Bamboo sheaths are protective structures that fall off the bamboo stalks, resembling leaves, and are mostly yellowish-brown in color. Because makino bamboo sheaths are harder and denser, they are more commonly used for dumplings cooked by boiling in water. Next time you cannot tell how a rice dumpling was cooked, you can try distinguishing it by its color.<\/p>\n
When Han Chinese wrapped rice dumplings in bamboo leaves and sheaths, Taiwan's indigenous peoples frequently used shell ginger leaves and sugarcane leaves to wrap cinavu, and occasionally bamboo leaves as well. Beyond leaves, bamboo tubes were also practical tableware on indigenous dining tables. As recorded in *Dongfan Ji* (Account of the Eastern Barbarians): \"During banquets and gatherings, a large jar of wine was placed in the center as they sat in a circle, each served with a bamboo tube [of wine] without side dishes. As music began and they danced, their mouths also hummed as if singing.\"<\/p>\n
Indigenous peoples use the bamboo node as the bottom of a cup and pare bamboo to make cups, or cut it diagonally in half to make spoons. From bamboo tubes alone, an entire set of tableware can be created. The familiar bamboo rice found on the market is also made possible by the hollow characteristics of Taiwan's bamboo species. It is worth mentioning that the bamboo rice of Taiwan's indigenous peoples is mostly steamed and roasted using pure glutinous rice without adding other ingredients. The current practice of bamboo rice stuffed with ingredients such as pork is an adaptation closer to modern market demands.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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