Chinese Fans
Seen those fans offered in today’s market with Chinese labels? These products have actually been around for centuries now. They are crafted and designed by the Chinese crafters themselves as one of the precious highlights of their culture, the reason that every Chinese living in today’s primitive and developed provinces of the country really take care of their fans although air conditioners and electric, freestanding and ceiling fans have already seen their growth in the market.
The Chinese fans remain a popular item in China for several good reasons. In the first place, they are used to keep a person cool. That basically is their main use. But, more to that, the Chinese fans play a significant role in the country’s cultural plays, dances, and other traditions. You may find some people out there using the pieces as one useful prop for stage or theatrical plays. Some are even using it for dances; hence there is what they call as the Chinese fan dance, and much to your surprise, most storytellers in China often use the product for storytelling purposes.
The use of a Chinese fan in public later evolved into something pretty private. This is shown basically by a number of art works displayed at homes featuring some fans of the same styles as those that are offered on the market. Even the noble families in China are now using these cooling systems for a number of uses and benefits.
There are a number of types available for Chinese fans. The first traditionally known type is the feather fan which, as the name implies, is made from feathers. According to several researches and reports, this type is so far the oldest available. The feathers used for this craft are taken from a variety of birds, including peacocks, eagles, kingfishers, magpies and cranes. They rose to popularity since the Han Dynasty simply for the reason that the country’s officials and literati found the pieces exotic, fun, and fashionable. It was later transformed into something decorative though by the eight century.
The second known form of China’s fan is the Chinese fan palm leaf type. Unlike the first, this option is marketed a little cheaper. It is also said to be more capable of cooling one’s body or area which cool wind is needed. It is for this ability primarily that the Chinese fan palms are favored greatly by both the masses and the regal families. This choice often comes painted.
Third, there is what they call as the Chinese paper fans. This variety is crafted in the simplest way. They are designed and shaped from plain varieties of paper. To make them more attractive, the Chinese crafters have decided to incorporate their designs into bamboo materials, which then serve as the fan frame. The plain paper is attached on the bamboo with the use of an environmentally friendly adhesive. This form is what makes this product not just attractive, but inexpensive and simply worth having.
Finally, if you are wondering what particular variety of Chinese fan is gaining more and more popularity in China and its neighboring countries today, then you will probably be happy to know that the Chinese folding fans are until now the most preferred. The first use of this type can be traced back to more than 700 years ago when the emperors and minister of China had used the pieces for several purposes, some are plainly decorative. It is this variety which we often see painted with different designs and art works. They are valued for their aesthetic value, and they are even considered by literary experts as a useful literary symbol.
The Chinese fans can be done easily and quickly, provided that you have the right design and style in mind. Your kids can even create some varieties of them. But, although they may be are easy to create, the Chinese fans are deemed by Chinese these days as a piece of art that they will treasure for life, the reason that a number of resources these days label them as “the favorite craft of China”.