Glossary: Round Fan Materials and Craftsmanship Explained

Answer: Round fan materials fall into three categories — surface, rib and handle — while the core craft lies in hand-made frames and hand-painted surfaces.

Surface Materials

| Material | Characteristics | Best Suited For | |------|------|---------| | Real silk | Light, translucent, premium feel | Fine-brush birds-and-flowers, classical court ladies | | Xuan paper | Absorbs ink well, ideal for calligraphy | Freehand landscapes, poetry calligraphy | | Cotton-linen | Plain, natural, modern | Minimalist, zen-inspired design | | Double-sided embroidery | Different motifs on front and back | Top-tier collectible craft | | Lace / organza | Modern innovative material | Fashion fusion, new Chinese style |

Rib Materials

  • Water bamboo: the most common — fine texture, good resilience, resists warping
  • Xiangfei (mottled) bamboo: natural speckled patterns, rare and precious, each piece one of a kind
  • Rosewood / red sandalwood: heavy and dignified, suited to collectible-grade round fans
  • Ox bone / ivory: traditional high-end materials, now largely replaced by imitation bone

    • Core Craftsmanship

    Frame Making

    Bamboo goes through more than ten steps — splitting, boiling, slicing, sanding, bending and drilling — to become the fan frame. The curve and uniformity come entirely from the artisan's touch.

    Surface Mounting

    The surface material is mounted precisely onto the frame, with even tension — too loose and it wrinkles, too tight and it cracks.

    Surface Painting

    A fan surface is not flat; the painter must compose and color according to its curve and translucency. Fine-brush work demands precise linework, while freehand demands economy of stroke with far-reaching meaning.

    Machine-Made vs Handmade Fans

    | Comparison | Machine-made | Handmade | |------|--------|--------| | Production | Mass-produced by machine | Hand-crafted by an artisan | | Surface | Printed pattern | One-of-a-kind hand painting | | Price | ¥200–1,200 | ¥1,000–10,000 | | Value | Decorative, practical | Collectible, heirloom | In one sentence: round fans use rich materials and complex craft, and a handmade fan is a one-of-a-kind work of art.