A fan is a wind-inducing device and a must-have item in summer. Chinese fan culture has profound cultural heritage and is an integral part of national culture. It is closely related to bamboo culture and Buddhist culture. China has always been known as the "Kingdom of Fan Making".
The main materials of fans are: bamboo, wood, paper, ivory, tortoise shell, jade, bird feathers, other palm leaves, betel leaves, wheat straw, cattail, etc. can also be woven or made into various shapes. Daily-use craft fans have beautiful shapes and exquisite structures. They are carefully carved, carved, ironed, drilled, or painted with poems written by famous people by skilled craftsmen, making the art of the fans a hundred times more valuable. Chinese fan culture originated in ancient times. Our ancestors hunted plant leaves or bird feathers in the scorching summer, and simply processed them to block the sun and generate wind. Therefore, the fan is called a sun barrier. This is the original meaning of the fan. source. "Wood is called a leaf, reed is called a fan." The earliest fan was a symbol of power made of reed. The original function of the fan was not to keep cool, but as a ceremonial fan for the ruling class to demonstrate their status and privileges. Because fans were often found in imperial palaces, they were also called "palace fans." After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, feather fans and wan fans appeared in large numbers. During this period, literati and poets loved to play with fans and regarded them as "elegant objects with sleeves". Some poets and poets, in addition to drinking and writing poems, often shook the wan fans while reciting poems and composing poems. In this During this period, a large number of poems related to fans appeared, such as Li Qiao's "Fan", Bai Juyi's "White Feather Fan", Tang Yi's "Ode to the Broken Fan" and so on. If the ancient literati didn't have fans in their hands, it would be like today's petty bourgeoisie who don't keep pet dogs, which would seem a bit tasteless. By the Qing Dynasty, not only literati, but also officials entering official careers, accountants, and even people at the bottom of society also liked to swing fans to "pose".
According to the history of the fan, it was originally called "Wu Ming Fan", and it is said that it was made by Yu Shun. Cui Bao of the Jin Dynasty recorded in "Ancient and Modern Notes·Yufu": "The Wuming Fan was created by Shun. He accepted the Zen of Yao, widely opened the sight and hearing, and asked others to help him, so he pretended to make the Wuming Fan. Qin, Han Gongqing, scholar-bureaucrats , all can use it. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, non-Chengyu (emperor) could not use it." That is to say, Shun once made the Wuming fan in order to widen the audio and video industry. It was still used from the Qin to the Han Dynasty. Zhang used this fan to show the outside world that he wanted to attract talents. However, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it became the exclusive use of the emperor. During the Yin and Zhou dynasties, a kind of "Zhai fan" appeared, which was made of colorful pheasant tail feathers, so it was called "feather fan". "Erya" talks about: "The wood is called a leaf, and the reed is called a fan." From this, it can be inferred that the early fans may be rectangular reeds. Early fans were not used for cooling, but as ceremonial tools for rulers, so they were also called "ceremonial fans." After the Qin and Han Dynasties in China, the main shapes of fans were square, round, hexagonal and other shapes. The fabric of the fans was made of silk. Because it was widely used in the palace, it was also called "palace fan". During the Sui and Tang dynasties, it became popular in the world. Mainly Wan fans and feather fans, as well as a small amount of paper fans. After the Song Dynasty, folding fans gradually became popular. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zhejiang, Suzhou, Sichuan and other places were rich in folding fans, and inscriptions and paintings were also popular here. This exquisite skill was introduced to Europe from the Ming Dynasty and then became popular all over the world.
Liangyou is an alias for fan. Song Taogu's "Qing Yi Lu·Utensils": "There are eight lines of poetry on the window cheeks of Shangshan Pavilion: 'Jingjun sweeps away the dust, and cool friends attract the breeze.' This is a broom and a fan."
The characteristic fan combines various artistic techniques such as carving, weaving, braiding, and calligraphy. The two fan handles on both sides of the folding fan, commonly known as big bones or big edges, are engraved with calligraphy and painting; the numerous fan bones in the middle are commonly known as small bones or hearts. There are many decoration techniques for the fan bones, some are mother-of-pearl, and some are painted with lacquer. Among them, Venus Coral is made of coral red lacquer as the ground, with silver powder sprinkled on it, shining like stars. There are more than 100 styles of fan heads at the lower end of the fans, including bamboo knots, plum blossoms, small vases, large hooks, and water chestnut round heads. The fan pendant is carved from jade, peach pits, olive pits, or braided with tassels, making it look swaying. The embroidered fan cover is beautiful, wear-resistant and practical. Fine patterns are hollowed out on the surfaces of sandalwood fans, bone fans, ivory fans and shell fans. The pyrography on the fans of sunflower and sandalwood fans has different shades of ink and an elegant style. Fans have many uses. In addition to keeping cool in summer, they are also used as props in Pingtan, opera, dance, folk arts and other performances.
Sichuan silk fans were already famous in the Ming Dynasty. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (1875-1908), the bamboo silk fan woven by Gong Juewu, a craftsman from Zigong, Sichuan, is known as the Gong fan. The silk used is as thin as a hair, each 400mm long, 1mm wide and 0.2mm thin. When illuminated by the sun, The bottom is transparent and crystal clear, and when the breeze blows, the silk threads fly. The woven fan surface is smooth and traceless, just like silk. The handle of the fan is mostly made of cow bone, with tassels hanging down. At the beginning of the 20th century, Gong Yuzhang, Gong Juewu's son, inherited his father's business and was able to weave complex scenes of ladies, landscapes, flowers and birds, which were clear and beautiful. Now, the Gong fan has been passed down to the third generation, namely brothers Gong Changrong and Gong Yuwen, sons of Gong Yuzhang. Their woven silk fans have been exhibited in the United States and Japan. The portrait hanging fan uses various portrait photos such as wedding photos, portraits, and children's photos as the fan surface. The portrait hanging fan (hereinafter referred to as the portrait fan) is a combination of modern imaging technology and ancient fan-making skills. Cleverly integrated, the image fan uses the same technology and materials as the current photo studio industry from design to output, so its image quality has reached the image level, with true color reproduction and excellent detail performance. In ancient times, the wedding night was also called the night of fan-quenching because it was necessary to perform the fan-quenching ceremony and compose fan-quenching poems at the wedding. The red hijab evolved from the fan used in the fan-quenching ceremony. Throughout the ages, people have used painting, embroidery and other techniques to form portraits on the fans. Today, with the help of modern technology, portrait fans with wedding photos and other faces as the fans have appeared. The fan culture has a long history and has added a fresh and fashionable touch. modern flavor. Other types of fans include wheat straw woven fans, duck-foot fans, bamboo board fans, bamboo shoot shell fans, etc. Wheat straw woven fans are mainly produced in Pujiang, Zhejiang. It is made by weaving wheat straw into a flat belt, and then winding it into a circle as a fan; then the lower end of the bamboo piece is used as the handle, and the upper end is split into two, the wheat straw woven fan is sandwiched between it, and five-color silk is pasted in the center of the fan. Embroidered patterns as decoration. The duck foot fan is named after the fan is shaped like a duck's foot. Produced in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Sichuan and other provinces. It is made of bamboo slices about 30cm long. The lower third is used as the handle, and the remaining two-thirds are chopped into dozens of strips. The strips are then braided into a duck's foot shape with thin threads. The fan surface is made of paper, and its edges are made of silk and brocade. Bamboo board fans are produced in Zhejiang. It uses a bamboo board about 30cm long and 15cm wide as the fan surface, and irons it to make it flat. Because the bamboo board fan is as white and smooth as jade, it is also called the jade fan. The bamboo shoot fan is produced in Fujian. It is made of giant bamboo shoot shells flattened into fans, 30cm long and about 18cm wide. The front of the fan is white and smooth, and some are decorated with pyrography; the back is the ocher color of the outer skin of the bamboo shoots, like a betel nut, so it is also called a betel nut fan. Holding the bamboo shoot fan in your hand, it is simple and elegant.