The original umbrella was made of silk, and only the best people could use it. After Cai Lun invented paper in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there appeared an oil-paper umbrella coated with tung oil, but the umbrella at that time was mainly made of yellow paper, which shows that the history of oil-paper umbrella in China was about 2,000 years ago.
In the Tang Dynasty, oil-paper umbrellas were widely used among the people. During this period, due to the emergence of special Xuan paper for painting and calligraphy, there appeared an oil-paper umbrella for painting and calligraphy with Xuan paper as the umbrella surface and painters writing and painting on the umbrella surface. It was also during this period that oil-paper umbrellas spread to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan Province Province, Nanyang and other places.
"Green oil umbrella" was widely used in Song Dynasty, and the color was mainly green. In the famous Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, people use this kind of "green oil umbrella" in the busy market.
In the Yuan Dynasty, due to the invention of cotton cloth, an oilcloth umbrella with oil on cotton cloth appeared. It is said that the Italian Kyle Polo brought an oilcloth umbrella from China when he returned home. After improvement, Europeans developed it into a modern folding umbrella. Since the Yuan Dynasty, oil-paper umbrellas and oil-cloth umbrellas have been the main rain gear tools in China.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, oil-paper umbrellas were widely used among the people, and painters in this period also liked to create on umbrellas.
From the Qing Dynasty to the 1970s, the oil-paper umbrella was always the main rain gear for people.
In 1970s, due to the popularity of steel umbrellas, the rain gear function of oil-paper umbrellas was replaced by steel umbrellas and folding umbrellas, and oil-paper umbrellas gradually withdrew from the market.