Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 metres (4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colours, from yellow to black to green.

Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools (厨房用具). Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.

Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撑) new buildings and bridges while they are being built.

In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes (管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (24节气). Grain Buds (小满), the 8th solar term of a year, begins on May 21 this year, and ends on June 5. It means that the seeds from the grain (谷物) are becoming full but are not ripe (成熟).

In China, the 24 solar terms were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural (农业) production. But the solar term culture is still useful today. It guides people’s lives through special foods, cultural ceremonies, gardening and even healthy living tips that matched with each solar term. Let’s see what we can do during the “Grain Buds” period.

During the Grain Buds period, summer harvest is about to begin. A saying about rain during this time mentions, “A heavy rainfall makes the river full.” Because of the great increase in rainfall, rivers are full of water, which gives rise to great tasting fish and shrimps (虾). This is a good time to enjoy them. It is also a harvest season for fishermen.

High temperatures are common during the Grain Buds period. The increase in temperature over this season may also give rise to some skin diseases. So it is important to exercise to keep healthy during the hot summer days. Walking, jogging and practicing tai chi are popular.

This time is a good period of the quick growth of flowers, which makes caring for your garden even more important. Flower clipping (修剪) is necessary. Flowers need a lot of water and care to stay healthy. Weeding (除杂草) should be done as they grow quickly and have to be cleared out in order to keep the soil loose (疏松) and from competing with the flowers for nutrients.

How do you eat your food? Some people use forks and knives. Some use their hands. And some, like the Chinese, use chopsticks.

Chopsticks, or kuaizi in Chinese, are a pair of thin sticks usually made of wood or bamboo. For a long time, the Chinese have been using these tools for their everyday meals. Holding the pair of sticks between the fingers of one hand, they can pick up any piece of food. The food can be big, or it can be very small. It can be square-shaped, or it can be round. No matter what the food is like, there is no problem!

Chopsticks were invented over 3, 000 years ago in China and had a common beginning by being used as cooking tools. It is thought that the first chopsticks were used to pick out food from a cooking pot. But as creative cooking tools developed, chopsticks were mainly used to have meals.

Using chopsticks creates a more demanding(要求高的) eating experience. You cannot get as much food in your mouth at one time as using a fork or spoon. Since it takes longer to eat, people may eat less. With chopsticks you can eat as much as you like anytime, anywhere. When no fork or spoon is available and eating with your fingers isn’t possible, find any two objects like sticks, place them between your fingers and start eating.

There are some rules and manners to follow when you are using chopsticks. Avoid sticking the ends of chopsticks into a bowl of food. Placing chopsticks into your food makes it look like an offering to the dead. Chopsticks are not musical instruments. Using your chopsticks as drumsticks at the table will get you a serious look from your host. Avoid using your chopsticks to point at people. Use words to get your point across rather than your chopsticks.