Chinese fan culture

Chinese fan culture has rich cultural deposits,it is a part of chinese national culture, and closely relates to Buddhism and bamboo culture. China has always been known as the kingdom of fans. The main materials of fans is bamboo, wood, paper, ivory, tortoiseshell, jade, bird feather, palm leaves, betel leaves, straw, lepironia articulata.They can be made to a variety of different styles fans, which have refined structures and beautiful shapes. By craftsmen meticulously engraving, carving, burning, drilling or celebrities writing poems the fans have more artistic value.

Chinese fan culture originated in ancient times, Chinese ancestors in the fierce heat of summer have freely picked off leaves or bird feathers, through simple processing, used them on the face or head to shade the sun or induce wind, this is the fan’s source. Fans in China through thousands of years evolution they are developed into hundreds of styles fan’s family.In Qin and Han periods, a semicircular shape "Bian Mian" (the shape likes a single door) also called "Hu fan" was mainstream,with this fan people could conceal face and at the same tim peek ohters. "Bian Mian" was made of thin bamboo strips, from the emperor to civilian population all people use it.　　

Fans originated in China and have over 3,000 years of history. First fan appeared in the Yin dynasty, was made of colorful pheasant hairs, called "Zhang Fan".So there is a "feather" word in the Chinese "fan" word. At that time, fans were not used to take cold, but emperors used to avoid sand and the sun when they went out. After the Western Han Dynasty, fans began to be used to get cold.In Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang rocked goose feather fan, thinking out good ideas and strategizing. In Eastern Han Dynasty, the most materials of fans were changed,the silk, thin silk and damask silk took the place of bird feathers, it’s easy to embroider and draw on the silk fabrics. The moon-shaped fan is known as the "Wan Shan" or " Court fan", also known as "He Huan fan." At that time fans had different shapes: a long round, sunflower, club, hexagonal; the handles were wood, bamboo, bone; ornaments were fan’s fallings, tassels, jades and fringes.Beautiful landscape and flowers were often embroidered on the fans.The ladies in the boudoirs handing fans, looked quiet,elegant,gracious,and graceful. 　　

The first time painting and writing poems on the fan was in the three countries. Zhang Yan Yuan’s book"Ancient Paintings" records this story.The Book "Jin dynasty-- Wang Xizhi Biography" has a story,Wang Xizhi is a famous calligrapher in Jin Dynasty. At that time, a old woman sold fans,there was nothing on the fans,and the price was 12 wen.The old woman asked Wang Xi Zhi to write on the fans.Wang Xi Zhi wrote only 5 words,the price of fans rose to 100 wen. Now in south of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province there is a "Writing Fan Bridge", according to legend it is the place,where Wang Xizhi wrote the words.