In late 1980s and early 1990s, when China had just started experiencing high-speed growth, the demand for bamboo products also soared. But as new materials such as plastic became cheaper and fashionable, people used fewer bamboo products for convenience. “When I went to primary school, fewer people in our village were making bamboo products. Bamboo products were previously mainly used by ordinary people, especially farmers, and sold at very affordable prices. It has to be seen as something interesting, something that makes your life more colourful, rather than an old craft that is going to disappear.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 20, 2016 18:13 UTC