What does bamboo stand for?

In China tradition, bamboo symbolizes the elasticity, longevity, happiness and spiritual truth of life, while in Japan, bamboo is a symbol of truth and dedication. Bamboo is used as a writing tool all over the East. For Buddhist and Taoist literary and art workers, the straight line and hollow structure of bamboo itself has extremely profound symbolic significance. Indigenous tribes in South America use bamboo as knives and axes to cut other things, and also use bamboo to make muskets and musical instruments to play sacred music. Some tall bamboos are respected by people and regarded as trees of life. In China, bamboo is one of the three auspicious plants in winter (the other two are pine trees and plum trees), which is of great significance to literati.