The art of the Chinese style of oil-paper umbrellas is mostly focused on traditional black and white
Chinese painting, such as flowers, birds, and scenery. Others include scenes from famous Chinese literature, such as
Dream of the Red Chamber and
Romance of the Western Chamber. Yet, some have Chinese calligraphy instead of paintings. However, traditional colors are kept on the sticks and the scaffold of the umbrella to maintain the antiquity.
Yuhang, Zhejiang In
Yuhang District,
Zhejiang, oil-paper umbrellas have been produced since the era of the
Qianlong Emperor (1769), by Dong Wenyuan (), who owned an umbrella shop. Oil-paper umbrellas in Yuhang are made with high mechanical skills and top materials, which provide their endurance. Prolonged exposure to sunlight and rain does no damage, thus their popularity among common people. Many travelers who passed through Yuan would buy umbrellas from Dong Wenyuan's umbrella shop as souvenirs for friends and relatives. Oil-paper umbrellas in Yuhang are available in a variety of different types and purposes, including those used for fishing or as collectibles. In 1951, Zhejiang province has chosen Yuhang as the focused point of the industrial artifact for oil-paper umbrellas and initiated a group for this establishment in 1952. The later established "Artifact Rain Umbrella Industry Co-operations" () was the first industry of artifacts in Zhejiang province. This establishment was once in the spotlight of the Chinese media, however, as the popular metallic umbrella appeared on the market and oil-paper umbrellas have faced extinction. On December 5, 2006, artisan Liu Youquan () met a government official of the Yuhang district and proposed to recover the art of production in Yuhan, with the intention of starting a new pop culture trend and increase local wealth. Liu spent a few hundred RMB and bought some dozens of the bamboo umbrella from a bamboo umbrella factory. But Liu did not have the skills, only to keep these as a "canvas" for 30 some years. A local media reported for a search of an oil-paper umbrella artisan and increased local awareness. Four days later, four artisans: Fang Jinquan (), Chen Yue Xiang (), Shen Lihua (), and Sun Shuigen () prompted and have intentions to recover the art (drawing oil paintings on the bamboo umbrella). They have passed their skills and technique to some local bamboo farmers and brought income to them. The governmental officials of Yuhang have listed this art for major protection and important antique artifact (
Antiquities Act). Production requires skilled hands and technique as well as personal experience. Training to become a master in oil-paper umbrella manufacture requires an apprenticeship and a great deal of practice. Apprentices must practice the skills for three years to officially master this technique. Tools are made by professional blacksmiths. The material of the umbrellas is chosen with care. The umbrella scaffold is made from either bamboo or wood, tied with hair strings. The best umbrellas are made from peach flowers, as the umbrella surface is soaked in persimmon pigment. The persimmon pigment is made from fermenting the juice of green persimmons, which provides a suitable stickiness. The soaked flower petals are stuck to the umbrella scaffold one by one. Paintings or pictures are drawn on the peach flower petals prior to painting
tung oil on top. The finalized umbrella is left to dry in a dry dark room. It requires at least 70 steps to produce a well-crafted oil-paper umbrella.
Sichuan In
Luzhou,
Sichuan, the oil-paper umbrella culture started around the end of
Ming dynasty and beginning of
Qing dynasty. Oil-paper umbrellas have existed in Sichuan for as long as four hundred years. Here, the umbrellas are exquisite with fine paintings, abundant colors and beautiful outlooks, the umbrellas are also famous for their ability to shield strong winds. In 1993 May, six experienced artisans spent four months producing a famous umbrella (), which was exported to countries such as
England,
Malaysia and
Singapore. The was made out of 88
pinaceae and 52 bamboo sticks with 1,800 skins of paper and of oil pigment. Producing the required over 70 procedures and it was regarded as the "Chinese King of Umbrellas". After Western umbrellas had increased in popularity, the Luzhou 's popularity diminished dramatically. In addition, due to the sophisticated procedures, the high production cost and low profit, not many young men were willing to commit to this art. In 2004, only about thirty experienced artisans were willing to continue this umbrella production. Many people worried that the skills may soon become extinct. In October 2005, an exhibition in Shanghai invited the local government to an exhibition of oil-paper umbrellas, and they have recovered some popularity since then. After the recovery,
Yunnan and Luzho minorities gained awareness of oil-paper umbrellas and used them during ceremonies and gifts. Since then, the umbrellas have been exported to Japan, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and Macau. Contemporary local artisans still utilize the traditional method of production, which includes the 70 or so procedures of total manual production. Such as slicing the bamboo and painting the pictures. Materials used are also orthodox to the traditional materials, such as the bamboo sticks directly brought from the mountains where they were chopped. Tools of production are old too; the black stone ink is already 450 years old. Quality control is strict; the four trenches should not meet and the tung oil must be spread evenly across the umbrella surface. The paintings adhere to the situations they are used for.
Jiangxi Oil-paper umbrellas in the
Wuyuan County of the
Jiangxi province are orthodox and beautiful in appearance, as well as endurable with portability, named the "". During the Song dynasty, a local resident of Jiangxi named "" was awarded the position
chancellor, who then brought an oil-paper umbrella back to Jiangxi with him from a major city. One named "" improved upon the
prototype and passed it on to his descendants. It was said that during the Ching dynasty when the
Kangxi Emperor was on the throne, one day the Kangxi Emperor secretly traveled to Wuyuan and it was raining. Kangxi Emperor saw a child who threw a stone at the umbrella; however, the stone bounced back off from the umbrella without damaging it. Kangxi Emperor was surprised by the quality and strength of the oil-paper umbrella and gave it a positive name called the "Jialu paper umbrella Jia Tianxia" (). Since then they have been commonly called "Jialu umbrellas" (). Jialu umbrellas were awarded the first place during an international exhibition in 1936 and reached its peak at 1943, which recorded to have once produced 25,000 umbrellas and exported 17,000 annually. In 2000, however, only three eighty-year-old artisans have possessed the skill, in addition, one of the raw materials, the persimmon tree, is in danger of extinction. Jialu umbrellas have since become extinct. In 2006, the locals have produced a new and natural breed and increased the quality of Jialu . Production reached 50,000 annually and exported to countries such as the United States, Japan, and Korea. Contemporarily, there are four factories located in Wuyuan with a net worth of eight million RMB, thirty villagers and 1,800 workers. Jialu are made from high-quality bamboo, skin paper, and tung oil. The main procedures are slicing the umbrella scaffold, cutting the umbrella portion, installing the umbrella sticks, boiling the umbrella stick, adding the skin paper, painting on the skin paper, editing the umbrella skin, brushing on tung oil, stitching the umbrella with decorations, installing the handle and the head. Altogether about thirty procedures.
Hunan Oil-paper umbrellas in
Changsha,
Hunan province date back to about 100 years, the earliest oil-paper umbrella shop is , Which is named after Tao Jiqiao (), who established the shop during the Qing dynasty. In 1900, Liang Jingting (), who worked in an umbrella shop in Changsha opened his own umbrella shop called the (). It produces the old type of oil, black ink umbrella. The name () is attributed to its fine features and endurance. In 1921, the Pan Kuiqing () brothers started a factory called () that mass-produces umbrella skin paper. The umbrella skin it produced included traditional flowered ones and many other pictures, these umbrellas were exported to Hong Kong, Macau and South East Asia. The umbrella was awarded in a Chinese exhibition in 1929. The highest production rate was thirty thousand per year, until February 1975 when Jing Gang Yusan She () was abolished, and Taohengmao () oil-paper umbrella production was terminated. The raw materials of the Changsha oil-paper umbrella are skin paper, bamboo, cotton silk, rope, tung oil, persimmon water, pigment, cow horn, and wood. The umbrellas produced by Taohengmao () are especially fine-featured and commit to abide by the traditional production methods with strict materials.
Hubei The
Hankou,
Hubei, province has produced oil-paper umbrellas for the past few hundred years. In 1864, Somun (), who was originally from Hunan, invested in an umbrella shop. He later opened an official umbrella shop called Suhengtai Sandian (), with 12 workers and 3 apprentices in his employ. Production was at a rate of about 500-600 umbrellas per month. Somun also increased the umbrella's popularity locally, later expanding his business and amassing enormous profits. Suhengtai () oil-paper umbrella also became locally popular. It was once fashionable to buy umbrellas for weddings; the bride would hold a blue one while the groom would hold a red one with the combined connotation of a beautiful marriage. In 1970, the Sheng Tai oil-paper umbrella business died out. When in production, two types of materials were used: the scaffold was made from a special type of bamboo while the umbrella handle was made from a special type of wood from Hunan. The tung oil, skin paper, and persimmon oil used in production were all meticulously chosen. A Suhengtai oil-paper umbrella would last for about eight to twelve years.
Fujian Oil-paper umbrella have been produced in both
Fuzhou and
Nanping of
Fujian. The oil-paper umbrella is one of the three treasures in Fuzhou (). The other two are the (
Lacquerware) and the (
combs made of cattle
horn). Umbrellas play a large part in Fuzhou residents' daily lives, with local people calling it – meaning literally "everyone's backpack has an umbrella in it". The oil-paper umbrellas of Nanping are famous alongside two other brands altogether known as the "three mouth" (), the other two mouths being and . Production initiated in the 20th century with a peak pace of fifty thousand annually. Gradually, however, the traditional oil-paper umbrella was replaced by the collapsible umbrella in the 1970s. Local artisans have since switched to producing small and portable umbrellas. The umbrellas produced in Nanping are currently exported to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South East Asia, Europe, and America. Fuzhou oil-paper umbrella materials are chosen strictly with only those of high quality permitted. The scaffold must be made from bamboo of the Northern Fujian province that has good elasticity and endurance; the bamboo must furthermore be at least five years old. 83 procedures are required for the manufacture of a single umbrella. Traditional Fuzhou oil-paper umbrella art is divided into five subcategories including umbrella scaffold, umbrella installment, umbrella head, handle and painting, the mainstream of which is the umbrella installment. There are also a few famous local umbrella painters including , and . The oil-paper umbrella in Fuzhou is dated to as long ago as the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. When established his own kingdom called "" (
Fujian) at Fuzhou, he brought the oil-paper umbrella from
Zhejiang with him. During the Ching dynasty, there were as many as 300 shops in Fuzhou. The oil-paper umbrella was also one of the symbols used in riots against the Japanese during the
Xinhai revolution. The oil-paper umbrella in Fuzhou was famous for its endurance in an expo in
Panama in 1915 and
Chicago in 1933. In 1985, the Fuzhou oil-paper umbrella has had significant improvement and advancement and was exported to Japan,
Europe and South East Asia. Every umbrella has 72 sticks in the scaffold, opens wide and closes tightly giving it a snake-like appearance, thus giving it the nickname the "Snake Umbrella". In 1990, a government official, , went to Seattle for an umbrella exhibition, and a red umbrella he showed provoked a great response in the audience. However, the Fuzhou umbrella shop closed down in 1997, resulting in low production with minor exports to Japan. Though local umbrella artisans are already occupied with other jobs, they still petition for the local government's assistance in the recovery of this art. Nowadays, the oil-paper umbrella has become a form of popular art and decoration. There are workshops and lessons for people to paint on the umbrellas in the traditional way. The umbrellas also serve as an important element of interior design in Fujian, with it being common to see them displayed in such places as high-end restaurants and hotels, people's houses, and museums.
Yunnan Oil-paper umbrella production in
Tengchong, Yunnan, dates back to two-hundred years ago, or nine generations, also called the (Paper Support). It was rumored that who once met two umbrella artisans and learned the skills from them brought the skills with him back to Tengchong, and passed it on to his descendants. In the past, oil-paper umbrella spread across all markets in Tengchong. The local Hakka especially liked the oil-paper umbrellas. The village chief said that once 80% of the villagers knew how to make oil-paper umbrellas, but now only four that are still making them. The current best production household is the , who is picky about the material and techniques. Tung oil and persimmon water are made adhering to the traditional methods of production. The final umbrella is elegant and strong. The production rate is about one to two per day. , who only makes big umbrellas likes to place big umbrellas in front of his shop to shed the sun and attract customers, therefore also named the "shed shop umbrella" (). They only produce umbrellas when they have free time from farm works currently. The oil-paper umbrellas produced in Tengchong are finely tuned, abundant with colors and beautiful outlook. They were once sold in other provinces of China. However, there has been a gradual decrease in production during the 1950s. The oil-paper umbrella production now is only to pass on the skills to prevent the extinction of this handcraft locally. The oil-paper umbrella uses special bamboos and wood translocated from (Yunhua) and (Guyon) as umbrella handle and scaffold. The umbrella surface uses skin bought from (Jietou). Brushed with tung oil, named the green cloth (). Procedures including slicing bamboo scaffold, stitching, surface skin, brushing persimmon water, collapsing the scaffold, drying the umbrella, painting, installing the handle, brushing tung oil, adding clothes, stitching again. It averages out about two umbrella a day.
In customs and cultural ceremonies Hakka marriage and bride dowry In traditional Hakka marriages, the bride's parents must pay dowry to the husband's family, in which oil-paper umbrella is one of the required dowries. "" (paper) is a homonym for "" (sons) in Chinese, for the connotation of having sons early. The character "" (umbrella) contains five "" (man) with the connotation of many sons and grandsons. Oil-paper umbrella is straight up, with the symbol to eradicate evil spirits. The circular appearance symbolizes "fullness" connotation of a beautiful marriage. And since the umbrella itself can shield rain and the wind, thus prohibiting evil spirits from entering in. Other dowries that come with the oil-paper umbrella include five colored pants, make up the table, door curtain, and boxes. In wealthier families, dowries could include god and jewelry or high-quality cloth or blankets. In addition, bride family would give vegetables that have homonym with positive words such as celery, garlic, and chives, that are then tied with red rope given as gifts to the husband's family. Oil-paper umbrella as a dowry is still a custom in the Hakka family in Taiwan and some other countries in
South East Asia.
Hakka second burial funerals Since many of the Hakka populations are in the mountainous areas of China, most corpses are buried on the mountains. Initially, Hakka people do not put up a gravestone, however, after the second time the corpse is buried (usually 3–5 years later), the additional grander ceremony is added. When burying, usually in the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, an experienced burial master is hired to dig into the old grave and disinter the clean bones for an official and permanent burial at the exact spot. The oil-paper umbrella is used to cover the bones while they are being cleaned.
Engagement present of the Yao people In the population of
Yao located in
Longhui County of
Hunan, oil-paper umbrella is used as an engagement present by the men side. When a consensus is built between the two families, the family of the man's side would hire an experienced man to propose a marriage in the woman's house. The first propose does not require any gift but only the permission of the parents of the bride. During the day of engagement, the man's side needs to bring an oil-paper umbrella to the woman's house and place it on the sacred table located in the house; the bride must take the umbrella from the table personally and close the umbrella that is stitched with 12 triangles. Then the experienced man must bring the oil-paper umbrella back to the husband's house for the proof of a successful engagement. On the way back, the experienced man must not open the umbrella himself. If a divorce is made later, the husband must return the string on the stitch back to the bride.
Funerals of the Dai people Dai people located in Yunnan use a special type of paper called "" (Garcia) to make oil-paper umbrella, which is brushed with sesame oil. The Dai believe that the umbrella could lead the dead to
heaven. This type of umbrella is still available in a village today.
Hakka dance ceremony "Umbrella Dance" is one of the traditional dances of the Hakka culture, during the ceremony, the dancer must be holding a paper umbrella and wearing a blue shirt (traditional Hakka clothing). Hakka Dance Ceremony is an important part of the Hakka Culture along with "tea leaf drama" and "mountain song". ==In Taiwan==