The Oil-Paper Umbrella
The Oil-paper umbrellas are one of the traditional items of the Han ethnic group that originated in China more than 1,000 years ago.
It has been listed as part of the Intangible Cuitural Heritance of China.Using handmade bamboo strips 竹条as umbrella frames伞架, and cotton paper coated涂刷 with natural waterproof tung oil 天然防水的桐油as the umbrella surface伞面, Oil paper umbrellas are the earliest umbrellas in the world, made entirely by hand and all made from natural materials. They are the crystallization of the wisdom of ancient Chinese people.
Legend has it that the earliest umbrella was invented by Yun, the wife of Lun Ban who was revered as the master of carpentry and masonry 木工和土建大师in the Spring and Autumn Period(770 BC-476BC). After paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty, paper umbrellas became widely used and the former silk and leather version became obsolete淘汰. People waxed打蜡, oile上油, and lacquered上漆 the paper umbrellas to be waterproof and used them for rain protection. They are also used in traditional Chinese weddings and religious ceremonies to pray for blessings and to ward off evil spirits. In early Tang Dynasty paper, umbrellas were introduced
to Japan, Korea, so they were also called the“Tang Umbrella”. Later paper umbrellas were spread to other Asian countries such as Vietnam,Thailand, Laos, each forming their distinctive styles.
The oil-paper umbrellas are mainly made of skin paper皮纸, bamboo兰竹,a coating of Tung oil桐油. The materials are strictly picked and the production procedures are complicated. Some requires more than 80 procedures and two weeks to make one umbrella. Oil-paper umbrellas in the Jialu County甲路镇 of Jiangxi Province are orthodox and finely tuned, as well as endurableIt even impressed the Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty who hailed it as "the finest under heaven” and was called as Jialu Umbrella ever since. 甲路纸伞甲天下.
However in modern days, like many other traditional handicrafts, the oil-paper is facing the danger of extinction. There has been a gradual decrease in production during the 1950s and it was
gradually replaced by collapsible umbrellas in the 1970s. However the few artisans who possess this skill are becoming old. Training to become a master of oil-paper umbrella requires years of apprenticeship and lots of practice.
Fortunately, efforts have been made to prevent the extinction of this valuable handicraft and the oil-paper umbrella has been listed as part of the Intangible Cuitural Heritance of China.
