Quick Answer: What Are West Lake Silk Umbrellas?
A West Lake silk umbrella (西湖绸伞, Xīhú chóusǎn) is a collapsible Hangzhou parasol with a bamboo frame and a silk canopy. The local form dates to 1932. Its open canopy can carry an image of the lake, flowers and birds, or other subjects painted or stitched onto the textile.[1][2]
- Frame: Bamboo ribs spread to hold the canopy and fold back against the shaft.[1][2]
- Canopy: Silk provides a surface for brush coloring, painting or embroidery.[1][2]
- Closed form: Matching outer bamboo strips can make the closed parasol resemble a length of bamboo.[2]
The Hangzhou making tradition entered China’s national intangible heritage inventory in 2008.[1]
Seen from above, an open umbrella can carry a lake scene across a broad silk surface. From underneath, the ribs show how that surface is held in place. When the umbrella closes, the image folds into a narrow bundle and the bamboo becomes more prominent.[1][2]
How Bamboo and Silk Share the Work
The national heritage record describes the umbrella as two principal parts, the bamboo frame and the silk canopy. The ribs carry the open textile and pivot so it can close. The record describes a fitted bamboo frame assembled without adhesive in its joints. On an open example, the lines of the frame are easier to follow from below.[1][2]
A China Umbrella Museum report describes makers separating a thin outer layer of bamboo into corresponding strips. After the canopy is fitted, each strip is matched back to its rib. When the ribs come together, the strips form much of the visible exterior. Silk plays a different structural role in Suzhou silk fans, where a textile face can sit in a fixed frame or fold between ribs.[1][2]
Reading the Canopy: Landscapes, Painting and Stitching
| Canopy treatment | What you can look for |
|---|---|
| Brush-dyeing (刷花, shuāhuā) | Colored areas applied with a brush, including lake scenery in several colors |
| 絵画 | Brush marks forming a landscape, figure, flower or bird |
| 刺繍 | Motifs built from visible thread and stitches |
The Hangzhou craft record calls one approach brush-dyeing. It associates this method with views of West Lake and several applications of color. Other canopies are painted freehand or embroidered. The silk weave gives painters and embroiderers a common working surface. Chinese silk weaving explains the structure of the fabric beneath the decoration.[1][2]
Look at where a motif meets the folds. A branch can cross several sections of a canopy, while a local landmark might sit within one part. On an embroidered piece, the motif is also a change in texture. These clues help when a label describes a decorated parasol without explaining how the image was made.[1][2]
The heritage profile lists several uses for the umbrella, including everyday use, display and stage performance. A piece designed for dance can be read partly through the movement of its opening canopy. A display umbrella gives a viewer more time to notice the paint, thread or texture across the ribs.[1]
From the 1932 Workshop to Hangzhou’s Museum
The national project profile dates this Hangzhou form to 1932 and credits the Dujinsheng silk mill with developing it. Song Zhiming began training at the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Research Institute in 1977. His practitioner profile records experiments with different textiles and with combining embroidery and painted or brush-dyed decoration. This is one example of Hangzhou’s silk-related workshop traditions within Zhejiang culture.[1][3]
A Hangzhou exhibition placed umbrellas themed on the Ten Scenic Views of West Lake alongside Song’s recreations of examples from the 1930s. The views show how a canopy can carry an image of a particular place. The reconstructed pieces give viewers a way to compare designs associated with different periods.[2][4]
FAQs About West Lake Silk Umbrellas
Is a West Lake silk umbrella an oil-paper umbrella?
The documented West Lake form has a silk canopy over a bamboo frame. An oil-paper umbrella takes its name from a different canopy material and treatment.[1]
Why can a closed silk umbrella look like bamboo?
Makers can match strips cut from the outside of bamboo back to corresponding ribs. When the silk folds inward, the strips help give the exterior the appearance of bamboo.[2]
When was West Lake silk umbrella making recognized?
China added West Lake silk umbrella making to the second batch of national intangible heritage projects in 2008. The national entry identifies Hangzhou as the submitting locality.[1]
出典
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Umbrella Making: West Lake Silk Umbrellas
[2] Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government. Museum Brings Silk Art Under One Umbrella
[3] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Song Zhiming
[4] Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government. West Lake Silk Umbrellas Displayed in Hangzhou