Quick Answer: What Are Suzhou Silk Fans?
Suzhou fans (苏扇, Sūshàn) are a family of fans made in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The silk palace fan (绢宫扇, juàngōngshàn) has silk stretched on a fixed frame with a handle. Some Suzhou folding fans also use silk, with a pleated leaf that opens on pivoting ribs.[1][2][3]
- Fixed frame: The silk face keeps its outline when held or put down.[3][4]
- Folding ribs: A silk leaf folds with the ribs and spreads into an arc when opened.[1][2]
- Decoration: Silk can carry painting, embroidery or patterns woven into the fabric.[3][4]
The wider Suzhou family includes folding fans, sandalwood fans and silk palace fans.[1][2]
A silk fan held near a window can show the weave beneath a painted branch or a bird. A rim and a fixed handle keep one kind in shape. On a folding fan, a series of pleats follows the ribs, so the design comes into view as the fan opens.[2][3][4]
Which Part Holds the Silk?
| Suzhou fan type | What supports the face | En qué fijarse |
|---|---|---|
| Silk palace fan | A fixed perimeter frame with a separate handle | A continuous outline around the textile |
| Silk-leaf folding fan | Ribs pivoting together at one end | Pleats that close between the outer ribs |
| Sandalwood fan | In many examples, the shaped wooden slats form the surface | Repeated wood strips, sometimes with cut decoration |
A silk palace fan is often called a round fan (团扇, tuánshàn). Round examples are common. The municipal heritage record also names hexagons, rectangles, flower shapes and elongated ovals. Look for the perimeter frame before using the silhouette to identify the form.[3][4]
A folding fan works through the pivot and pleated leaf. Suzhou’s local record distinguishes plain silk, colored silk and gold- or silver-toned silk leaves among its examples. Paper leaves are also documented. The folding mechanism is shared with Rongchang folding fans, which offer a separate regional example of how ribs and leaves can vary independently.[1][2]
How a Silk Palace Fan Is Made and Decorated
Suzhou’s craft guidance describes shaping a frame, fitting a handle, mounting a silk surface and finishing the edge. On a bamboo-framed example, the rim holds the textile under tension. The handle supports the whole face from below. The edge gives the fabric a continuous border and covers its meeting with the frame.[3][4]
Painting can put an ink landscape, flowers, birds or figures onto the surface. The fabric itself can also carry a motif. The guidance records silk tapestry as one possible face material, so a pattern on a fan can be formed in the textile itself. Chinese silk weaving and Chinese embroidery explain two different ways such textile surfaces can carry a design.[3][4]
Suzhou Fan Making and Its Heritage Records
The national heritage account records Suzhou folding-fan making in the Southern Song and workshops during the Ming. Suzhou’s local account places workshops in the city’s outskirts in the Xuande reign and later records makers working in urban neighborhoods. The 2006 national listing is for Suzhou fan making as a wider tradition. The city added a specific municipal extension for silk palace fans in 2020.[1][2][3]
Sheng Chun, identified in a Chinese arts and crafts history as a municipal representative practitioner, has reproduced Qing-style palace fans and designed new round fans. Her practice gives a documented example of studying older frames and adapting them for new designs.[5]
FAQs About Suzhou Silk Fans
Are Suzhou silk palace fans always round?
Many have circular frames. Suzhou’s municipal record also documents hexagonal, rectangular, oval and flower-shaped frames.[3][4]
Can a Suzhou folding fan have a silk leaf?
Yes. The local heritage account describes folding fans with several types of silk leaves, as well as examples using paper.[2]
Are all Suzhou fans made from silk?
Suzhou fan making includes silk palace fans, folding fans and sandalwood fans. Documented materials include paper for some folding leaves and sandalwood for wooden fan slats.[1][2]
Fuentes
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Fan Making: Suzhou
[2] Suzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Fan Making
[3] Suzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Suzhou Fan Making: Silk Palace Fans
[4] Suzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation. Guidance for Silk Palace Fan Making
[5] China Arts and Crafts Society. A Brief History of Suzhou Fan Making