A video of a slender bamboo stalk that somehow grew through a metal lamp post near the World Trade Plaza in Xinchang County, China’s Zhejiang Province, has gone viral on social media. Dubbed the “Indomitable Bamboo”, the resilient plant took root just a few centimeters from the lamp post and made its way inside it through a small opening near the base.
Most plants don’t do very well in total darkness, but this bamboo seems to have handled it pretty well, as it managed to reach all the way up the other side of the post, where it sprouted a cluster of lush green leaves. Experts say that bamboo can still grow in the dark because it has a large and well-developed root system and underground stems that can penetrate deep into the soil to absorb water and inorganic nutrients, allowing it to maintain growth in the early stages when there is no light.
A video of this unusual bamboo stalk was uploaded to social media by a local man known only as Mr. Jia., who passed by ot with his children and noticed the cluster of green leaves at the top of the lamp post. He was with his kids, and they all thought it was an interesting sight, so he decided to film it, without anticipating the impact it would have on social media.
“I thought it was amazing, and the children were also very impressed, so I made a video,” Jia said. “I didn’t expect that a casual video posted online would become so popular.”
That initial video was viewed millions of times, and the resilient bamboo became an overnight sensation in Xinchang. People started visitingjust to see the miracle in person, and some even brought their kids to teach them the meaning of resilience, perseverance, and vitality.
