Providing you with the best Chinese fans is our priority. This is why all our fans are authentic Chinese fans, created according to Chinese tradition and know-how. We are therefore committed to offering quality Chinese fans. In addition, we are committed to regularly renewing our catalog of Chinese fans, to always quench your thirst for discovery of China. Finally, we are committed to responding to all your requests and questions within 48 hours maximum.
History
Chinese fans have a history dating back more than 3000 years. They were in fact invented during the Shang Dynasty (1570 – 1045 BC). The first type of Chinese fan was called Shanhan, it was then hung above carriages to provide some shade and protect passengers from the rain. The Shanhan fan was therefore far from the function we know today! It was in fact closer to an umbrella or a umbrella, depending on the weather. Later, the Shanhan evolved and received a long handle, and was made of bird feathers or silk. It was then called Zhangshan fan, and it was mainly used by the Emperor's honor guard or as decoration.
It was not used for refreshment until the Zhou Dynasty, over 2,000 years ago. At that time, it was still mainly made of feathers and was used by the nobility. It was popularized to all Chinese social classes during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). At that time, it was mainly made of bamboo and reed leaves, which were much cheaper than feathers, and therefore accessible to all social classes. During the Song Dynasty (420 – 479), the moon fan, with its half-moon shape, was invented and became very popular with young women, especially those in the imperial court. It then evolved into different shapes, including round and oval. The rivets of the fan were then made of small animal bones or bamboo, and the handle was decorated with lucky carvings, and sometimes stones such as jade. Fans were already magnificent representations of traditional Chinese art, and the silk screen was often decorated with landscapes, flowers or mythological scenes. Fan paintings were so popular that they greatly contributed to the development of Chinese art itself, and became a style of artistic expression in their own right.
Today, the most common fans are no longer the round fans, but rather the folding fans, which were introduced to China by the Japanese during the Song Dynasty. Legend has it that the Japanese created it after being inspired by bat wings. Since the folding fan was much more practical and could easily be carried around, it quickly became a real fashion item in China. They were then real handicrafts, whose rivets were made of noble materials, such as tortoiseshell, ox horns, ebony, marbled bamboo, ivory elephant tusks, or jade.
Today, there are more than 500 different types of Chinese fans, among which the most famous are those made of sandalwood from Suzhou, Jiangsu province, or those made of silk from Hangzhou, Zhjiang province.
