From September 13th to 16th, 2018, as part of the programme of the “Seminar on Green Industries Driven by Bamboo and Rattan S&T Innovation for Developing Countries 2018”, a training sponsored by China’s Ministry of Commerce and organized by ICBR, participants conducted a four-day study visit at ICBR’s Experimental Base in Taiping, Anhui Province. The seminar was attended by 42 participants, made up of senior officials working in the fields of forestry, agriculture, science and technology, natural resources and environment from 11 developing countries, namely Viet Nam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Malaysia, South Sudan, Ghana and Thailand.

The participants visited the National Germplasm Repository for Bamboo, Rattan and Flowers, where they were given an introduction to the germplasm collection, preservation and utilization of 250 bamboo species growing in the sub-tropical zone by technical professionals and shared their thoughts on how to apply China’s experience to their own countries. They also visited bamboo-wood demonstration houses and the National Engineering Research Center for Bamboo and Rattan, which helped them to gain a comprehensive understanding of bamboo’s processing and wide application in China.

Arranged by the Experimental Base, the participants visited the Huangshan Huizihao Bamboo Museum where they learned to do traditional bamboo rhizome carving. They also paid a visit to the Moso Bamboo Demonstration Garden in Gou Village of Gengcheng Town, to learn about the management philosophies and techniques of bamboo plantations, including classified management, oriented breeding, bamboo cultivation for the production of shoots and raw materials, fertilization, irrigation and ecosystem management of bamboo plantation.