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Famous old fan brand revives tradition, winning new fans
By Wu Huixin |
February 6, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN ancient costume dramas, Chinese nobility are often seen holding, waving or gesturing with delicate fans, even though the weather is not hot. Actually, such fans were associated with politics and were symbols of social status.
In traditional Chinese opera, how a fan is held and used indicates the character's gender, age and position. Women may hide behind their open fans, men frequently hold folded fans, or snap them closed as they make a decision, or use them as a pointer.
When Hangzhou became the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), all the artists, artisans, craftsmen and workers who supplied noble families - including fan makers - poured into the city. Streets were dotted with shops selling fans.
Until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Hangzhou had 4,000 to 5,000 people making fans, many of them in 50 renowned workshops, including Xu Maozhi, Qing Mao, Chen Jia and Zhou Jia stores.
From then on, fans were emblematic of Hangzhou, together with Longjing tea, silk and parasols.
At the intersection of today's Pinghai and Zhonghe roads stood the former Hangzhou fan masters hall, where craftsmen gathered. It contained memorial tablets to 462 fan-making masters.
Virtually most of the famous workshops are gone today, only Wang Xingji, named after the master, remains today. It is considered one of the finest brands of Chinese fans.
Wang Xingji was established by Wang Xingzhai in 1875. Wang was born into a fan-making family in Hangzhou and by the age of 20 he was already a master.
The black paper fans made by Wang Xingji craftsmen were given as tribute to the imperial family in the late Qing Dynasty. They were honored at international expositions in Milan, Italy, in 1906, and in San Francisco, the USA, in 1915.
It is said that in the Republic of China (1911-1945) days, Shanghai debutantes carried Wang Xingji fans.
Even Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the famous Peking Opera artist, used only Wang Xingji fans while performing the classic "Drunken Beauty." The brand's reputation spread.
Today Wang Xingji is China's only fan-making enterprise listed as a Chinese Time-honored Brand.
At the brand's workmanship demonstration pavilion, two craftswomen make fans so that visitors can appreciate the workmanship up close. Zhao Meidi, 42, was an apprentice to a Wang Xingji craftsman and started to make fans five years ago. She now makes around 100 fans a day.
The Wang Xingji factory is not an assembly line; instead, each worker produces an entire fan. "Our leader hopes everyone can know the entire process, not just a single procedure," says Zhao.
Zhao spent six months to learn the process and some of her earlier fans were discarded because of defects.
"The fans have strict standards; the angle of sections must measure between 115 degrees to 120 degrees. When we glue the silk surfaces to the fan ribs, the paste must be of the right consistency and amount, otherwise, the paste may ooze out or cannot stick firmly. Unlike other local handcrafts that were mostly replaced by machines, mechanization has not yet reached the fan field in Hangzhou where all Wang Xingji fans are still handmade," says Zhao.
The fans are famous throughout China for their long history and high quality standards. Some consumers wonder why the fans are a bit more expensive than others. That's because the fan ribs are made of the outermost layers of moso bamboo, which is stronger than other varieties, Zhao says.
All the fan ribs come from Anji County northwest of Hangzhou. The area is rich in bamboo and Wang Xingji operates a mill that produces various kinds of fan ribs designed by masters.
The company recruits crafts masters and art school graduates.
Sheng Zhili has worked on Wang Xingji fans for 47 years. When he was 13, he was apprenticed to the founder's son, Wang Ziqing. He is now the senior craftsman who passes on his skills.
The shapes and decorations of the fans are both classical and modern. The company hired famous Hong Kong calligrapher Du Juan and Ding Guofu, an expert in fan decoration for 20 years, to create new kinds of fans with various decoration.
The company's fans were also used by many people in hot weather, but with the advent of air-conditioning, the popularity of fans declined.
Sun Yaqing, the company director, changed strategy to develop artistic crafts fans that are more elaborate and used mainly as elegant accessories and decoration. Old masters and craftsmen were tracked down and rehired. The fans were promoted as "fans of elegance" and "fans of rituals."
Today, Wang Xingji reports annual sales of around 23 million yuan (US$3.7 million).
Wang Xingji workmanship demonstration pavilion
Address: 450 Xiaohe Rd
Opening hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays)
Admission: Free
In traditional Chinese opera, how a fan is held and used indicates the character's gender, age and position. Women may hide behind their open fans, men frequently hold folded fans, or snap them closed as they make a decision, or use them as a pointer.
When Hangzhou became the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), all the artists, artisans, craftsmen and workers who supplied noble families - including fan makers - poured into the city. Streets were dotted with shops selling fans.
Until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Hangzhou had 4,000 to 5,000 people making fans, many of them in 50 renowned workshops, including Xu Maozhi, Qing Mao, Chen Jia and Zhou Jia stores.
From then on, fans were emblematic of Hangzhou, together with Longjing tea, silk and parasols.
At the intersection of today's Pinghai and Zhonghe roads stood the former Hangzhou fan masters hall, where craftsmen gathered. It contained memorial tablets to 462 fan-making masters.
Virtually most of the famous workshops are gone today, only Wang Xingji, named after the master, remains today. It is considered one of the finest brands of Chinese fans.
Wang Xingji was established by Wang Xingzhai in 1875. Wang was born into a fan-making family in Hangzhou and by the age of 20 he was already a master.
The black paper fans made by Wang Xingji craftsmen were given as tribute to the imperial family in the late Qing Dynasty. They were honored at international expositions in Milan, Italy, in 1906, and in San Francisco, the USA, in 1915.
It is said that in the Republic of China (1911-1945) days, Shanghai debutantes carried Wang Xingji fans.
Even Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the famous Peking Opera artist, used only Wang Xingji fans while performing the classic "Drunken Beauty." The brand's reputation spread.
Today Wang Xingji is China's only fan-making enterprise listed as a Chinese Time-honored Brand.
At the brand's workmanship demonstration pavilion, two craftswomen make fans so that visitors can appreciate the workmanship up close. Zhao Meidi, 42, was an apprentice to a Wang Xingji craftsman and started to make fans five years ago. She now makes around 100 fans a day.
The Wang Xingji factory is not an assembly line; instead, each worker produces an entire fan. "Our leader hopes everyone can know the entire process, not just a single procedure," says Zhao.
Zhao spent six months to learn the process and some of her earlier fans were discarded because of defects.
"The fans have strict standards; the angle of sections must measure between 115 degrees to 120 degrees. When we glue the silk surfaces to the fan ribs, the paste must be of the right consistency and amount, otherwise, the paste may ooze out or cannot stick firmly. Unlike other local handcrafts that were mostly replaced by machines, mechanization has not yet reached the fan field in Hangzhou where all Wang Xingji fans are still handmade," says Zhao.
The fans are famous throughout China for their long history and high quality standards. Some consumers wonder why the fans are a bit more expensive than others. That's because the fan ribs are made of the outermost layers of moso bamboo, which is stronger than other varieties, Zhao says.
All the fan ribs come from Anji County northwest of Hangzhou. The area is rich in bamboo and Wang Xingji operates a mill that produces various kinds of fan ribs designed by masters.
The company recruits crafts masters and art school graduates.
Sheng Zhili has worked on Wang Xingji fans for 47 years. When he was 13, he was apprenticed to the founder's son, Wang Ziqing. He is now the senior craftsman who passes on his skills.
The shapes and decorations of the fans are both classical and modern. The company hired famous Hong Kong calligrapher Du Juan and Ding Guofu, an expert in fan decoration for 20 years, to create new kinds of fans with various decoration.
The company's fans were also used by many people in hot weather, but with the advent of air-conditioning, the popularity of fans declined.
Sun Yaqing, the company director, changed strategy to develop artistic crafts fans that are more elaborate and used mainly as elegant accessories and decoration. Old masters and craftsmen were tracked down and rehired. The fans were promoted as "fans of elegance" and "fans of rituals."
Today, Wang Xingji reports annual sales of around 23 million yuan (US$3.7 million).
Wang Xingji workmanship demonstration pavilion
Address: 450 Xiaohe Rd
Opening hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays)
Admission: Free
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