Quick Answer: What Are Luzhou Oil-Paper Umbrellas?
A Luzhou oil-paper umbrella (泸州油纸伞, Lúzhōu yóuzhǐsǎn) is a folding umbrella with a bamboo frame and a paper canopy treated with tung oil. Luzhou is the city in southern Sichuan. Fenshui refers to the tradition centered in Fenshuiling, in Luzhou’s Jiangyang District. [1][2][3]
- Structure: The ribs support the thin canopy as it opens.
- Surface: Oiled paper provides cover and can carry a design.
- Uses: Umbrellas appear in everyday, ceremonial and exhibition settings. [1][2][4]
A handheld umbrella, a presentation piece and a large display can each put different demands on the same materials.
An umbrella carried on a wet street asks for a light frame and a canopy that folds cleanly. A piece displayed for a crowd asks for a different scale. Luzhou makers have worked within both sets of demands, and the occasion can also decide what they put on the paper.
Why Both Luzhou and Fenshui Appear in the Name
The Lu County Gazetteer, quoted in a heritage account, records more than twenty umbrella-making establishments in the urban area and singles out Fenshuiling for the quality of its umbrellas. Luzhou names the wider place associated with the trade. Fenshui identifies the locality that the gazetteer singled out. [1][2]
In 2008, the national intangible cultural heritage list recorded the oil-paper umbrella making project under Luzhou’s Jiangyang District. It names the Fenshui Umbrella Factory as the safeguarding unit. Xinhua also records a 2014 geographical indication for the Fenshui umbrella. The heritage listing recognizes the practice and names its safeguarding unit. The geographical indication identifies the named product by its place of origin. [1][3]
What the Materials Do
The national entry lists more than one type of bamboo, wood, bark paper and tung oil. The shaft is the handhold and central support, while the bamboo ribs carry the paper as it opens. The paper must sit evenly over the frame so that the canopy can open to its intended shape and fold back along the ribs. [1][2][3]
The canopy also gives a painter or printer room to work. A pattern has to read across the curved canopy and the seams between its sections. Tung oil gives the paper a surface that sheds water. In Xinhua’s workshop photographs, the coated umbrellas are set out to dry while fully open. [1][2][3]
From Rain Cover to Public Display
Heritage accounts describe the umbrella as cover in sun or rain and as an object used at weddings and other local ceremonies. Red umbrellas, painted designs and printed canopies are all recorded in the local tradition. The 2008 heritage account describes plain red as an early style and hand painting and stone printing as later additions to the local repertoire. [1][2]
A public display piece can be far larger. The national profile of Bi Liufu records a 1993 project he led with a canopy 12 meters across. The profile puts its height at 8 meters. At that scale the umbrella was an object for public display, large enough for a group to view from beneath. [4]
How the Umbrella Speaks for Luzhou Today
When Olympic BMX freestyle champion Deng Yawen returned home in 2024, she was presented with a Fenshui umbrella made by Bi Liufu. Its canopy featured a cartoon bicycle. The image was specific to the occasion, while the umbrella connected the gift to Luzhou. [5]
Xinhua has photographed makers working and displaying pieces for sale in Fenshuiling, as well as visitors on the umbrella-themed Sanli street. The 2024 report also documents sales through online platforms. A canopy made for a hometown celebration and an umbrella sold from a workshop both carry the local name, as with many of China’s traditional crafts. [3][6]
FAQs About Luzhou Oil-Paper Umbrellas
Is a Fenshui oil-paper umbrella a Luzhou umbrella?
Yes. Fenshuiling is in Jiangyang District, Luzhou. The national entry connects the named Fenshui craft and safeguarding factory to Luzhou’s umbrella-making tradition. [1][2]
Are the heritage listing and the geographical indication the same?
They are separate designations. The national heritage entry recognizes umbrella-making skill in Jiangyang. The geographical indication, reported in 2014 for Fenshui oil-paper umbrellas, concerns the named regional product. [1][3]
Were Luzhou oil-paper umbrellas used at weddings?
Yes. The national entry records weddings among the local uses, alongside daily shelter and other ceremonies. A particular family’s practice can vary. [1][2]
出典
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Umbrella Making: Oil-Paper Umbrella Making
[2] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network. Keeping the Oil-Paper Umbrella in the Rain Lane
[3] Xinhua. Fenshui Oil-Paper Umbrellas in the Workshop and on Sanli Street
[4] 中国無形文化遺産ネットワーク. Bi Liufu, Oil-Paper Umbrella Making
[5] Sichuan United Front. Jiangyang Oil-Paper Umbrellas in Public Life
[6] Liu Xueyi, Xinhua. Paper Umbrella Workshops in Luzhou