Once neglected, oilpaper umbrella gets back its shine

Inheritor hopes to revive its fortunes internationally

Wen Shishan has been making oilpaper umbrellas for more than 30 years.

As an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of the art in Fuyang district in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Wen has made 10 umbrellas to celebrate the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which have been postponed as a result of the pandemic until Sept 23, 2023.

"Hangzhou will be the main host city of the Asian Games. I am very proud of my hometown, and it occurred to me to combine traditional culture with the Asian Games when I heard the news," the 59-year-old told China Daily, explaining his decision to make Asian Games-themed oilpaper umbrellas.

The umbrellas are made using hand-cut bamboo strips for the pole and ribs and lint paper coated with tung oil, a natural waterproofing material, for the canopy.

In use for over 1,000 years, the oilpaper umbrella is one of the earliest forms of umbrella in the world.

Both ceremonial and practical, they were used on rainy days, as well as during weddings and religious ceremonies, and are traditionally associated with wishes for swift promotion, happiness and beauty.

Often exquisitely patterned and now more decorative than functional, they are found for sale at tourist sites or used in hotels as decorations.