Chinese Folk Art Story: Oiled Paper Umbrellas

China Oil-paper Umbrella Story

Oil-paper umbrella is a kind of oiled paper umbrella, originating in China, with cotton paper cover painted original boiled tung oil (China wood oil). Now, you can see the paper umbrellas in other countries and regions in Asia, such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos.

 

China paper umbrellas

 

In Chinese traditional culture, oil-paper umbrellas symbolize good luck for fertility for the similar pronunciation of “having a baby” (有子), Xi’niang (the women assisting the bride on the wedding) will shelter the bride with red paper umbrella when the latter getting out of sedan chair on the traditional wedding ceremony, avoiding evil spirits.

 

Oiled paper umbrellas is the daily rain umbrellas for the Chinese, with the history of more than 1000 year, all made out of the natural materials, completely hand-made, also known as the earliest umbrella in the world,

 

 



 

 

History of Chinese Oil-paper Umbrella

It is invented by Yunshi (Ms. Yun), Luban’s wife (Luban is one of the greatest Chinese ancient wood master in the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). Mr. Lu often works outside, always getting wet in the rainy days and his wife wants to make some shelter against the rain. She split bamboo into pieces, covering animal skis on the slim pieces, shaping like a pavilion while looking like a stick. This “umbrella” closes and opens freely.

 

After the invention of paper by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Chinese use the waterproof boiled tung oil on the umbrella cover. Refined scholars would like to poetize and draw on the cover for entertainment and feeling expressing. In Song Dynasty, oiled paper umbrella once calls as green oiled paper umbrella.

 

 



Manufacturing Method of Oil-paper Umbrella

Step 1: Choosing the proper bamboos
Step 2: Making umbrella framework: slipping bamboos, soaking them in the water, drying in the sunshine, and then drilling, threading, fixing umbrella handle and rods.
Step 3: stamping the clipped paper on the framework, trimming, falling into a pattern, and exposure to the sun.
Step 4: Drawing the pattern on the umbrella cover, drying in the sun.
Step 5: Painting boiled tung oil, drying in the sun.

 

More about definition of China oil-paper umbrella, you can turn to wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil-paper_umbrella