Su Shih, a renowned Sung Dynasty man of letters, once said, "I would rather eat no meat than live without bamboo. Being without meat will make me thin, but being without bamboo will make me vulgar."
千百年來，竹子在國人的精神、物質生活上佔著重要的地位，蘇東坡的：「寧可食無肉，不可居無竹；無肉令人瘦，無竹令人俗。」