Once a vital resource for the Chinese Red Army's military maneuvers 90 years ago, bamboo is now processed into eco-friendly consumer goods that serve as an economic pillar in Chishui City in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
Home to one of China's largest bamboo forests covering more than 88,000 hectares, Chishui is famed for its history as a former revolutionary base.
In 1935, the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) crossed the Chishui River four times to defeat the Kuomintang troops and survive the anti-communist military campaign -- a pivotal moment in the historic Long March after the Red Army completed in October 1936 a military odyssey of roughly 12,500 kilometers, which started in 1934.
Bamboo was vital to the Red Army soldiers in those battles.
"The soldiers cut bamboo to make rafts and build pontoon bridges. They also used it to make poles and other tools such as torches. At times, they even dug up bamboo shoots to ease their hunger because they often lacked food and clothing," explained Wu Jiamin, a local tour guide.
Now the plant serves as a boost to Chishui's economy, delivering benefits to local people.
"These bamboo forests have helped increase local people's incomes and have also contributed significantly to Chishui's economic development. Bamboo has many uses today. It can be used as a raw material and processed into a wide range of products and materials," said Wu.
More than 200 enterprises produce a wide range of bamboo items in Chishui. In 2025, its bamboo industry generated a total output value of over 10 billion yuan (around 1.5 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 65 percent of the city's gross domestic product (GDP).
Guizhou Xingchangmei Bamboo Industry Development Co., Ltd is one such enterprise, selling bamboo products as an eco-friendly substitute for plastics to promote green development and curb plastic pollution.
At the company's production line, bamboo stalks are processed into eco-friendly products.
"The production process in our semi-finished products workshop mainly involves cutting the bamboo, automatically splitting it, and then processing it into strips. First, workers cut the bamboo into the required sizes before going through the strip-making process. The processed bamboo strips are used to make three main types of products: Flooring strips, craft blocks and items such as knives, forks and spoons," said Yan Benjian, director of the company's Semi-Finished Products Workshop.
"The waste materials from our workshop are all reused to produce barbecue charcoal. Nothing goes to waste in our company. All the cut-off pieces and leftover materials are collected and processed into barbecue charcoal for reuse," Yan added.
According to Wu Qiuhui, assistant of manager of the company, Xingchangmei Bamboo produces many products that reflect its commitment to environmentally friendly products, including fruit pick, paper straws and bamboo toothbrushes.
These are some of the products we are currently making. For instance, this delicate fruit pick in front of me is used in hotels for serving fruit. These paper straws (made from bamboo pulp) can be used for drinking coffee or milk tea. We also produce bamboo toothbrushes for hotels which reflects our commitment to environmentally friendly products.
Some products have been sold overseas to countries including the United States.
"At the moment, our main export products are bamboo knives, forks and spoons, with the United States being our main overseas market. Their annual output value is currently around 20 million yuan (around 2.98 million U.S. dollars), and we have the capacity to produce about 600,000 sets a day," said Wu.
Today, bamboo raw materials across Guizhou Province are widely exported to countries including Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States.
The bamboo sector has become a strong economic force, supporting thousands of jobs across the province while highlighting its pursuit of green development.
From revolutionary resource to daily consumer goods: bamboo becomes pillar industry in southwest China city
