This is a darling little fan museum situated in Pingjiang Historial Quarters. Visitors can get a glimpse of various Chinese fans that are being displayed beautifully in this museum.
History of Chinese Fans
The first type of Chinese fan named Shanshan started around the Shang Dynasty (16 to 11 BC) where the fan was kinda like an umbrella that blocked the heat and protected people who were riding in a horse carriage from the rain.
Then the Shanshan became a Zhangshan fan with a long handle made of silk or bird's feathers, mainly used by the emperor's honor guard as decoration.
In the Zhou Dynasty, the fan was used to cool people and was known as a feather fan, only used by the noble class.
During the Han Dynasty, fans became more popular and affordable bamboo fans were invented, allowing common people to own and use them.
Song Dynasty was all about round silk fans. The fans were shaped to resemble the moon. The round fan started to become a favorite of the younger ladies in the imperial palace. Later on, this round fan took on many other shapes such as the oval shape and flower shaped. The ribs of the fan were made of animal bones, wood or bamboo, while the handles were engraved with beautiful designs and decorated with jade pendants.
The folding fan today was introduced by the Japanese during the late Song Dynasty. It was believed that the Japanese was inspired by bat's wings, hence, the birth of the folding fan. This fan was usually made of paper or silk at that time, and beautifully painted.
The 4 most famous fans in China are:
The sandalwood fan from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
The damask silk fan from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
The fire-painting fan from Guangdong Province.
And, the bamboo thread fan.
Today there are about 500 kinds of fans in China.
Bamboo fans
Folding silk fans
Round silk fans
Embroidered silk fans in unique shapes
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