Young entrepreneur eager to revive bamboo culture

[Photo provided to China Daily]

When the shop began, Qian's father sold small bamboo plaques for 30 yuan ($4.4), which is more expensive than many similar products.

"But my father could only make two plaques a day," Qian says.

He took out a photo album of his products and pointed at an elegant bamboo basket.

"It's around 600 and 700 yuan, but selling at this price is like doing charity," he says.

The basket was completely made by hand. After the bamboo stalks are cut down and transported to the workshop, they are boiled in a long metal container to remove the waxlike skin and other substances to make the material more pleasant to touch and see.

Then craftspeople strip the bamboo to useful sizes.

"This is almost the most difficult step. The thinnest bamboo strip can be only a quarter of millimeter in diameter－almost as thin as human hair. It's done by hand," he says.

Sometimes, craftspeople boil the bamboo in dyes before or after the weaving to cater to modern people's taste.