The deluge wakes another forest inhabitant. This one is particularly astounding in its vigor. It can grow up to a meter a day, fast overtaking the other plants around it. The taller it grows, the faster its growth rate, so that in a matter of days, it towers above the undergrowth and continues reaching for the sky, not bad for what is essentially a grass. It's bamboo. Given the chance, bamboo will create immense forests, dominating entire areas. Bamboo forests occur across Southwest China all the way to Shanghai. But probably the highest diversity of bamboos in the world is found on the hills and valleys of Yunnan.