The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-23
IousE.IAEne N CHINA.
THE vAAlED USES OF BAMBOO IN
THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM.

The Clever Chinanan Utiiisss N
Making HAs Meuss ana Furniture ~
We'll ~ or Dambss Alse IL MaAs
BriAgss, Fences and Other Things.
In looking at . Chinsman's house We
have no dificulty in ct once assigning to
the influence of factor No. about three
PARTS Of tie resultant structure. To APP
portion the other part between factors
two and three takes more time, and may
lead, IL we are 30 disposed, TO lifetime's
study OF history, language and social
custom.
The great natural material everywhere
ready to hand in China is the bamboo
(Bam busa arundinacea). This plant
grows freely everywhere, and more readi-
~ than our "quick hedge" at home,
while it is infinitely more adaptable to
being fashioned into structures of all
kinds.
The first thing farmer does in China
il to plant round three sides at least of
the site OF his house and stealing bam-
boo fence or grove, the second to cut it
gradually down, and therefrom make
every conceivable thing he may want,
from his house Itself down to his fan,
opium pipe and chopsticks.
The bamboo can be cut from the size of
the top joint Of IL fishing rod to straight,
tapering mast, four inches or five inches
in diameter and forty feet long. 1t is .
hollow jointed tube, as nearly round as
possible, hard, strong, very light; and
lest, when used as strut, 1t should give
way by bucking, il braced through at in
tervals in the most approved manner by
its joints.
In China nature has lent herself to the
federation of ignorance or OF unprogres-
sive knowledge, and has provided on
every mans land ready designed COM
preston mem Der of the best form, and a
beam OF nearly the best. Beginning with
the house, where the plan initially is an
oblong divided into three, areception and
dining room in middle with the Lares
and Penates (actual ones of wood or
bronze, representing Buddhist or Taoist
deities) conspiciously placed, and two
bedrooms, one on either side of the re-
ception room. The walls and partitions
are Of upright posts of the larger diameter
bamboo, to which are lashed with bamboo
strips smaller horixontals OF bamboo.
Through these are intertwined still
smaller bamboos, or laths OF riven bam-
boo, plastered over with clayey mud.
The door is OF interlaced split bamboo,
with bamboo hinges. The roof is always
purlin roof. Here comes in our knowl-
edge of principals clause. The king
post truss" with the general principle
Tor principally of framed structures is
unknown to the Chinese. and the pieces,
therefore, must all be in transverse strain.
Large bamboo puriins are placed longi-
tudinally from one partition to an
other; rafters of smaller BAN boos are
dashed to these, and still smaller are over
laid longitudinaily again. On these a
thGtch OF broad leaves is laid, and the
roof. the liz htest, probably, constructed
anywhere, is finished.
The floors are generally OF earth,
punned hard, sometimes overlaid with
"chunam," a kind of native concrete
This finishes a house, II not warm in VIM
ter, at least cool in summer-which latter
is more important in Southern China than
in a country where, in cold weather,
every one carries his own private store OF
burning charcoal about with him in the
house.
Now as to the furniture. The first
essentials are a bed to rest land smoke
opium on, table to eat off, and few
chairs. These are all made, to the last
ounce OF cubic eighth OF an inch, of bam-
boo. The surface of the table is a panel
OF bamboo Glove laths split from the stems
OF larger diameter, laid side by side,
polished side up, and framed in between
whole bamboos or one whole bamboo,
bent round at each corner of the table by
cutting out v nick nearly through, and
bending the cane until the mitred edges
meet.
This frame and panel rests on bamboo
legs, with rails of smaller diameter. The
bed Is fat plane Of split bamboo again
interlaced, resting near its ends on
trestles Of the same universal material.
The trestle is formed by cutting out
notch in the centre of each piece forming
the As of the trestle, of such a shape that
when bent around another piece-ths
longitudinal of the trestle-it just en-
braces It and supports it in the angle at
the top Of the A. These spring beds Of a
patent now expired, say 1900 years, are
by no means to be despised, and the
writer has, when hard pressed for quar-
tiers or when in advance of his rear guard,
got good nights rest out of them with
rug or coat only between himself and
the laths.
Certainly they are in advance OF the
iron bedstead OF "modern civilization, p"
which has carried away below decks and
leaves holes or spikes to trp or impale
the weary traveler-an institution dear to
the British landlady, which some of our
readers may have encountered.
The inevitable mosquito curtain is slung
on four BAN boos over the bed, and, prov
ing inefficient, bamboo fan is used to
ward off these direct emissaries of the
devil.
To make a fan piece of three eighth
inch diameter bamboo, two joints in
length, is taken and cut off between the
two alternate joints. The upper half is
then split down as far as the joint into
say twenty-one or twenty eight different
thin spikes Ga multiple of seven is usual
for good joss''). These are spread out
through $50 degrees at equal distances
apart, and a piece OF string threaded
through keeps them in place. A piece Of
paper is then pasted on both sides OF
these, and the whole trimmed off to the
desired shape, and edged with paper OF
another color The fan is then ready fol-
Nv, oil for, 10 oh IL