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A father and son team from Jiang’an, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has succeeded in making what one expert has said are the first-ever books made from bamboo pulp.

Tang Hongchou, 54, and his 25-year-old son Tang Haoyu have created a collection of six books, three of which feature traditional stories and the remainder classic works.

While people in ancient times did write on large blocks of bamboo, these are the first actual books that use paper made from bamboo, Liu Yu, the curator of the Dalian Bamboo Culture Museum in Guangning County of Northeast China's Liaoning Province, said.

"Several people have tried, but until now, they have always failed," Liu said.

The books will be on display at the museum for the course of next month's national holiday.

Tang senior said he got the idea to create the books in 1987 when he was working as an engineer with the Jiang'an County Bamboo Handicraft Factory in Sichuan.

"Although it took us just 30 days to make all the six books, I had been playing with the idea for 20 years," he said.

Tang said after a lot of experimenting, he first managed to create a paper-like substance from bamboo pulp about 10 years ago.

"But I gave up experimenting because I got a job at a handicraft factory at Jinggangshan Mountain in Jiangxi Province designing souvenirs made of bamboo," he told China Daily.

But in May, with the help of his son, Tang decided to try and realize his ambition to create a bamboo book.

After several months of trial and error, the two managed to create paper with a thickness of one-fifth of a millimeter, and using this they began work on the first of their six books.

"Our first book told the story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl," Tang senior said.

"It took us nearly a month to complete, which we did on September 9, but after that it took just five days to complete the other five books."

As well as the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl, the collection includes the Legend of the White Snake, Peach Blossom Fan, and three classics: Jingang Buddhist Scriptures, Taoism: The Way, and The Analects of Confucius.

"We chose the topics because they are either well known to most people or are good examples of traditional Chinese culture," Tang said.

He said he now wants to make more bamboo books featuring Chinese classics. "The thickness of the paper will be just one-10th of a millimeter," he said.

(China Daily 09/19/2007 page 5)

Questions:

1. In ancient times, what did people write on?

2. Why did Tang Hongchou give up trying to make bamboo paper 10 years ago?

3. What is the first story they printed on their bamboo pulp?

4. Tang and his son will make more paper. What will the thickness be?

Answers:

1. On large blocks of bamboo.

2. He got a job at a handicraft factory at Jinggangshan Mountain in Jiangxi Province, designing souvenirs made of bamboo.

3. The Cowherd and the Weaving Girl.

4. One-10th of a millimeter.

（英语点津 Linda 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.