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Final Exam Paper

Chinese intangible Cultural Heritage - The folding fan

Introduction

Among China's rich intangible cultural heritages, the folding fan carries the Oriental beauty and humanistic emotions of thousands of years. It is not merely a daily item for ancient people to cool off in summer, but also a traditional object that combines practicality, craftsmanship and cultural significance, which can directly reflect the spiritual world of the Chinese nation. In 2008, the art of making folding fans was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and this ancient folk craft has ushered in new development opportunities. This article will explore the unique value and inheritance and development path of the folding fan as an intangible cultural heritage from four aspects: its historical origin, craftsmanship features, artistic connotation and contemporary inheritance.

Historical origin

The round fan originated from the "bian mian" in the Pre-Qin period. It was mostly made of bamboo or papyrus and was used for shading and dust blocking. The development of the silk weaving industry in the Han Dynasty gave rise to the circular "round fan" (also known as "Huanhuan fan") with silk as the fan surface. Ban Jieyu's "Song of Resentment" vividly depicted it. At this time, it had become a carrier for the emotional expression of the women in the imperial court.

During the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, the manufacturing techniques of folding fans further developed. The material of the fan surface expanded from a single silk to brocade, gauze, and other materials, while the fan ribs were made of precious materials such as bamboo, wood, and ivory. Simple paintings and embroideries began to appear on the fan surface.

The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of the development of round fans. The social atmosphere was open and handicrafts flourished. The shapes of round fans became more diverse. Besides the round ones, there were also irregular shapes such as crabapple-shaped, plum blossom-shaped and hexagonal ones. At this time, the folding fan was not only a luxury item for the imperial court and nobility, but also entered the homes of ordinary people and became the subject of praise for scholars and poets.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the artistic value of the round fan was further enhanced, and the painting on the fan surface became an important form of expression in literati painting. During the Song Dynasty, scholars and poets such as Emperor Huizong and Mi Fu were all skilled at painting on fan surfaces. They incorporated themes such as landscapes, flowers and birds, and figures into the fan surfaces, turning the folding fan into an art piece that integrates poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal engraving.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the craftsmanship of making round fans reached its peak. The carving skills on the fan ribs became increasingly exquisite, and the themes of embroidery and painting on the fan surfaces became more extensive. Famous local schools such as "Suzhou fans", "Hangzhou fans", and "Sichuan Fans" emerged. Round fans thus became the culmination of traditional Chinese craftsmanship.