County-level city in SE China's Fujian cultivates thriving bamboo industry

Photo shows bamboo golf tees on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)

Step inside the Wuyi Bamboo Cube eco innovation center in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province, and you'll find over 5,000 bamboo products displayed across 6,300 square meters, ranging from household goods to fashion accessories.

"This bamboo golf tee is one of our star products," said Ge Wang, general manager of Fujian Shaowu Bamboo Cube Brand Operation Co., Ltd., as he casually picked up the small item. "Unlike plastic, it completely biodegrades in natural environments without the need for recycling, and it's very popular in the market."

These innovative products epitomize Shaowu's commitment to replacing plastics with bamboo. Nestled at the southern foot of Wuyi Mountain, the city is home to 672,800 mu (about 44,853 hectares) of bamboo forests. Shaowu consumes 55 million moso bamboo stalks annually, the highest volume among all county-level cities in China.

Nothing goes to waste. Bamboo shoots become food, its stalks are transformed into furniture and everyday products, and scraps are processed into chipboard, activated carbon, charcoal and substrate for cultivating mushrooms.

Photo shows bamboo products on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Deng Xianlong)

The city's industrial evolution is evident in its product range, from traditional items like plates, chopsticks and furniture to innovative products such as golf tees and straws to advanced materials like bamboo charcoal used in water purification and air filtration. Shaowu has developed bamboo into a comprehensive green industrial chain, continuously expanding its applications.

The "humble bamboo" has grown into a pillar industry in the county. Shaowu now stands as the only county-level region in China with complete industrial chains for both bamboo fast-moving consumer goods and bamboo home furnishings.

Through specialized processing, bamboo can be transformed into a durable material known as "bamboo steel" for use in construction.

"Currently, bamboo winding composite materials match the strength of steel while being lighter and more environmentally friendly. They're already being used in urban pipeline networks, building structures and even aerospace applications," Ge said, noting that the Wuyi Bamboo Cube eco innovation center itself features an all-bamboo structure, saving more than 10 tonnes of steel.

Photo shows bamboo chipboard on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)

Building on these advantages, Shaowu is vigorously promoting bamboo as a substitute for wood and steel.

To overcome development bottlenecks, Shaowu has leveraged its abundant bamboo resources to create China's first regional public brand for the bamboo industry, Wuyi Bamboo Cube.

In 2024, Shaowu released its "All-Bamboo Tea Space" standard, presented its brand at the China-Europe-Africa Forum on Bamboo Technological Innovation and Green Industry Cooperation and was designated an international bamboo industry brand center. Following evaluation by the China Council for Brand Development, the Wuyi Bamboo Cube brand was valued at 20.237 billion yuan ($2.84 billion).

Today, Shaowu is home to 292 bamboo product enterprises, ranking first among all counties and districts in Fujian Province. In 2024, the city's bamboo industry generated a total output value of 8.59 billion yuan, created 12,000 jobs and increased bamboo farmers' annual income by more than 300 million yuan.

Photo shows bamboo tableware on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)

Photo shows a bamboo-made calculator on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)

Photo shows the Wuyi Bamboo Cube eco innovation center in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Deng Xianlong)

Photo shows a bamboo-made bike on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)

Photo shows bamboo-made products on display in Shaowu, a county-level city in southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Xie Xingyu)