Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea

Souther Sichuan Bamboo Sea, as its name implies, is a sea of bamboo. When a fresh wind blows across, you can see the green waves poppling- thousands of bamboos joggle together, as if they were dancing. 

Covering an area of 120 square kilometers (29,653 acres), the forest of bamboo is lying in the southern part of Sichuan Province, hence the name. There are more than 20 mountain ridges and over 500 peaks were covered with bamboos. When Huang Tingjian, China's poet in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) came here, he was deeply attracted by the thousand miles' bamboos, so he wrote down 'Wan Ling Qing' three characters. 

Nanzhu Bamboo is the often-seen kind here. It is tall and straight, standing upright proudly. Wandering in the bamboo sea, you will see an eyeful of intensive bamboo poles. The smooth bamboo joints shine in the color of silver white under the bright sunlight. The fragrance specially belonging to the leaves is spread in the air. When there is wind, the leaves are like swords dancing vigorously, sounding like 'tsa tsa'. 

There are a great variety of bamboos here. Besides the widely grown 'Nanzhu', there are also other 50 kinds. Different bamboos have their own characters which add more interests to the bamboo sea. The black bamboo is a distinct kind-the young bamboo is in light green, with dense and thin hair on them, while the mature bamboo is in color of dark purple or black. The kind is not tall; however, standing in the green sea, they look rather distinctive. The Rohan bamboo has very narrow and dense leaves and their joints are very peculiar. The upper part of the bamboo is straight and regular while the lower joints which are close to the ground are the most characteristic. Some of them are short and thick, some leans their body, which is rather lovely and interesting. There is still quiet fishscale bamboo, pretty fernleaf hedge bamboo as well as the particular Cizhu. Some of them are rare species.      

The traditional Chinese culture is very fond of bamboos. Because it is hollow, straight and is evergreen all the year round, so is believed to symbolize some good moral characters, such as upright, elegant and pure. Many of Chinese poets and writers like to compare bamboo to their moral integrity. Walk in the green sea, feel the uprightness of the old bamboos, and watch the lovely bamboo shoots. All the bamboos have different dispositions but have the same spirit. Through the sea of bamboo, you can feel the ups and downs of the world. 

It is indeed a vast sea of bamboos, with tens of thousands of green waves. No matter when the clouds and mist appear which gulf the hills, or the alternation of seasons and days, the Southern Sichuan Bamboo Sea always keeps the same green color and prosperity, peaceful and elegant.

 Entrance Fee:
CNY 90 (Feb. to Nov.); CNY 75 (Dec. to Jan.);
Free for kids under 1.1 m
 Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00
 Best Time to Visit: Mar. to Oct.
 Transportation: Take tourism bus at Yibin Nan'an Long-distance Bus Station and get off at Shunan Zhuhai (CNY 15 for a single trip).