It might be surprising that keyboards made of bamboo are all the rage inChina, as they provide a more environment-friendly alternative to the usualkeyboard made of plastic.

As hi-tech brings conveniences and also pollution to themodern world, people who have a keen awareness of ecological protection arelooking for green ways of living to offset the negative impact of advancedtechnologies.

Although bamboo keyboard is still a new thing to mostcomputer users, it is nevertheless gaining popularity.

The company that makes it is in Jiangxi’s Tonggu County, which enjoysabundant bamboo resources.

“It sells well in the European and American markets,but not the domestic market for now,”

said Zhang Lina, a sales manager of the Jiangqiao Bamboo andWood Industry Co. Ltd., the sole producer of bamboo keyboard in China.

The idea of manufacturing bamboo keyboards came from abusiness talk the company had with an electronic company from Shenzhen in 2005,when the Shenzhen company’s general manager suggested the Jiangqiao companymanufacture computer boards made of bamboo, according to Feng Chun, atechnician of the Jiangqiao company.

“We have been developing such a product eversince,” Feng said.

“Of course, we broke through a series of technicaldifficulties in almost three years, such as how to prevent the bamboo keyboardframe from cracking, how to prevent the bamboo bottom plate from distorting andhow to make bamboo buttons firmly linked with the main board,” he said.

“You needn’t worry that it might crack even if it dropsfrom a one-meter-high table. Its user-life is no shorter than a plasticone,” he added.

“The degradability of the keyboard can be enhanced withthe substitution of bamboo for plastics, so it’s environment-friendly,“said Professor Zhu Zhenghou, from the School of Materials Science andEngineering with the Nanchang University.

“It can bring computer users a unique feeling: cool inthe summer while warm in the winter. In addition, it can prevent staticelectricity and the bamboo veins have the function of absorbing ultravioletradiation,” he said.

“It is gaining recognition and popularity step by stepas more and more people want to experience new things and lead a greenlife,” said Zhang.