Exquisite paper umbrellas connect with younger generation

A young entrepreneur from the city of Xiangtan, Hunan province, has stepped out of the shade of his more traditional father to take advantage of social media and e-commerce, and give the age-old business of making and selling oil-paper umbrellas a new lease of life.

When Zhou Le was growing up, his father impressed upon him the cultural significance of the area's 600-year history of making oil-paper umbrellas.

Zhou Hanyu, the father, taught his son the intricate steps of making these decorative pieces.

In 2017, Zhou Le left home and the family's oil-paper umbrella business to study chemical materials at Changsha University in the provincial capital.

Not forgetting his family roots, the following year Zhou Le and nine friends decided to make some money on the side by selling oil-paper umbrellas online, with business moving along nicely.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he cooperated with a vlogger on popular video sharing platform Douyin to sell the umbrellas, and sales shot up. Soon, he was attracting millions of views and selling more than 500 umbrellas a day.

After his graduation in 2021, Zhou Le returned home to work in the family business full time. He also set up his own subsidiary startup studio focused on innovation and e-commerce.

A year later, he won an entrepreneurship competition in Changsha's Kaifu district, which awarded him 50,000 yuan ($6,800) in support of his startup.

With a team of seven members, he developed, marketed and promoted new umbrella products on social media platforms.

Zhou Le admits that his father's skills surpass his own.

"But by utilizing the power of social media and technology, I can spread the knowledge about the decorative handicrafts to the world," he said.

He's given many of his umbrella products poetic names to attract younger customers who are fans of traditional Chinese culture and who want umbrella accessories for their hanfu.

He has also incorporated new elements that young people like, such as cartoons and anime, into patterns painted on the umbrellas.

The entrepreneur has also worked hard to sell the umbrellas overseas, which accounts for 10 percent of the company's sales, he said. The overseas market will be a breakthrough for the company's future business, he added.

In 2021, Zhou Le was elected as a deputy to the people's congress of Xiangtan county, which has inspired him to reach out and help more people, especially those engaged in the oil-paper umbrella industry.

There are more than 50 oil-paper umbrella manufacturing companies in Xiangtan's Shigu township, employing more than 2,000 people. They can make 6 million umbrellas every year, accounting for one-third of the production in China, according to the local government.

The umbrellas at Zhou's company, which today employs more than 100 locals, are priced at a range from 10 yuan to several hundred yuan each.

The company has an annual output of 10 million yuan, Zhou Le said, adding that he wants to triple the figure in the coming years.

Tang Luoqun has worked at the company for six years. She used to work in coastal cities with her husband before returning to her hometown to work at Zhou's company.

She can make around 3,000 yuan per month, which is lower than what she could make in cities, but she said she is satisfied because she can look after her two children and elderly parents at home.