By Zhang Keming

his rural region with its lush green rolling hills is a 1）treasure trove of bamboo. This is Dehong， the western part of Yunnan Province in China. Bamboo grows 2）profusely in this region. Here a bamboo forest is flourishing around this village. The local people use bamboo for all sorts of purposes. Even to this day， most of lifes essential goods are made of bamboo， and all are handmade.

This is the Teng family residence on the outskirts of the village. It is， of course， surrounded by a bamboo forest. Mr. Teng starts to cook the days catch. The firewood used by the household is also bamboo. Meals are eaten on the 3）veranda. The Tengs extended household includes their son， his wife and their grandchildren. A bamboo cup is used for drinking wine. Walls are made from woven bamboo. The terrace is also made from bamboo. People here live a nearly self-sufficient life through cultivation of rice， vegetables and the ingenious use of bamboo.

Mr. Teng owns a total of 6，600m2 of bamboo forest located in four different locations. This forest has been handed down from Mr. Tengs grandfather. With a little bit of human assistance， a healthy bamboo forest can be sustained. Today Mr. Teng has cut down some bamboo known as huangzhu， or， in English， yellow bamboo. It is the best variety for basket-weaving. This bamboo has great length between its knots， which makes it good for making baskets.

It has been approximately 100 days since the rice was planted. In this sub-tropical climate， rice grows very fast， and it is already time for harvest. The Teng family puts a lot of effort into working during this very important time of year. Their daughter， Yunbo， who is married into a neighbouring family， brings the Tengs some tea. Yunbo is pregnant. Mr. Tengs new grandchild is expected in four months. Taking a break from rice harvesting， Mr. Teng makes his way to the bamboo grove. He is looking for something. This is a bamboo 4）borer. This moth 5）larva is known in China as a bamboo insect. Eggs were laid here in the early summer and they have now grown into larvae. Many of these larvae can be found at the nodes of the bamboo. The bamboo borer can only be caught during this season and is considered a bit of a delicacy in this region. It is said to be high in nutrients and especially good for women during pregnancy. The larvae are being cooked in oil. This meal was prepared for his daughter， cooked with a fathers love.

March. A new season has arrived again. Back at the Teng family residence， their daughter Yunbo pays another visit. Ah， their new grandchild has been born healthy and happy. Its a boy. He 6）slumbers peacefully in his bamboo cradle. This cradle was built with loving care by his grandfather.

With one more grandchild added to his 7）brood， Mr. Teng heads back to the bamboo grove. This bamboo was planted and raised by his grandfather. He chooses some young bamboo trees and digs their roots out of the ground. Mr. Teng has moved the bamboo to a small hill overlooking the village. This bamboo is going to be the start of a new grove for his grandson. By the time his grandson reaches elementary school a rich and dense thicket of bamboo will have grown.

The rainy season approaches again. The bamboo groves of Yunnan， China， are cultivated and tended by human hands. These lush forests serve as home and life source for both humans and animals. A new cycle of life begins at the bamboo forests.

這里是中國云南省西部的德宏地區(qū)，這片青山綿延起伏的鄉(xiāng)村是竹子的寶庫。這個(gè)地區(qū)的竹子繁茂生長，在這個(gè)村莊的周圍就是一片繁茂的竹林。當(dāng)?shù)厝税阎褡佑米鞲鞣N用途。即使在今天，主要的生活必需品大都仍是用竹子做的，而且全都是手工制作。

這是藤家在村邊的住處。不用說，它被一片竹林包圍著。藤先生開始烹煮今天捕捉到的魚，家里使用的柴火也是竹子。他們?cè)陉柵_(tái)上吃飯。藤氏一家包括了他們的兒子、兒媳和孫兒孫女。這個(gè)竹制的杯是用來盛酒的，墻壁是用竹子編制而成，房屋的露臺(tái)也是用竹子搭建的。這里的人們種植水稻和蔬菜，巧妙地讓竹子滿足生活所需，過著一種幾近自給自足的生活。

藤先生擁有面積達(dá)六千六百平方米的竹林，分布在四個(gè)不同的區(qū)域。這片竹林從藤先生的祖父?jìng)飨聛?，只需人們稍加照顧，這片竹林就可持續(xù)健康地生長。今天藤先生砍下了一些黃竹，這種竹子最適合編織籃子。這種竹子竹節(jié)之間的距離很長，這使得它很適合用來制作竹籃。

距水稻種下已經(jīng)過去了約一百天。在這種亞熱帶的氣候下，水稻生長得非?？欤F(xiàn)在已經(jīng)到了收割的時(shí)間。在每年的這個(gè)非常重要的時(shí)刻，藤家人都會(huì)非常努力地干農(nóng)活。他們的女兒云波嫁給了附近一戶人家，今天她帶了一些茶回家。云波懷孕了，預(yù)計(jì)在四個(gè)月之后藤先生會(huì)添一名外孫。藤先生在繁忙的收獲季節(jié)空當(dāng)，走進(jìn)竹林。他正在尋找著什么，原來是在竹子內(nèi)到處竄的蟲，這種竹蟲在中國叫做竹蠹螟。它們會(huì)在初夏時(shí)產(chǎn)卵，現(xiàn)在這些卵已經(jīng)長成了幼蟲，這些幼蟲大多都藏身在竹節(jié)里，也只有在這個(gè)季節(jié)才可捉到它們。這些幼蟲在當(dāng)?shù)乇灰暈橐环N美味的佳肴，據(jù)說它的營養(yǎng)豐富，最適合懷孕的婦女食用。藤先生把這些幼蟲放在油里炒，滿懷著父愛為女兒做了這頓飯。

現(xiàn)在是三月，新的季節(jié)已經(jīng)開始。在藤家的房子里，他們的女兒云波又回來探望他們。瞧，他們新添的外孫很健康、活潑。這個(gè)男孩安睡在竹搖籃里，外公把濃濃的親情編進(jìn)了這個(gè)搖籃。

由于家中新添了一名外孫，藤先生朝他的那片竹林走去。這片竹林是他的祖父栽種培育的，他挑選了幾棵竹樹幼苗，把它們連根挖起，然后把這些幼竹移植到小山丘上，從這里可以俯瞰村子。這些竹子會(huì)茁壯成長，成為他外孫竹林的開端。到了藤先生的外孫上小學(xué)的時(shí)候，這片竹林應(yīng)該會(huì)長得很茂盛。

雨季又來臨了。在中國云南，人們用自己的雙手種植和細(xì)心照顧著一片又一片的竹林，這些翠綠的竹林是人類和動(dòng)物的共同家園，是生命之源。在這片竹林里，新的生命循環(huán)開始了。