Quick Answer: What Are Rongchang Folding Fans?
A Rongchang folding fan (荣昌折扇, Róngchāng zhéshàn) is a portable fan from western Chongqing. Its fan ribs (扇骨, shàngǔ) pivot at one end. The pleated fan leaf (扇面, shànmiàn) spreads across them when the fan opens and folds between them when it closes.[1][2]
- Ribs: Palm bamboo and moso bamboo are documented materials.[2]
- Leaf: Black paper is a signature choice. Makers also use white paper, silk and ramie cloth (夏布, xiàbù).[1][2][4][5]
- Finish: Carving can appear on the outer ribs. Painting and calligraphy can appear on the leaf.[1][4]
A label such as “black-paper fan” names the leaf. “Palm-bamboo fan” can describe the ribs of that same fan.[2]
On a closed fan, most of the leaf disappears between the outer ribs. Open it and the surface spreads into a broad arc, revealing its folds and decoration. Both views matter in Rongchang, where makers work the ribs as carefully as the paper or cloth they hold.[1][2][4]
How the Ribs and Leaf Work Together
The ribs share a pivot and line up in a narrow stack when the fan closes. The wide outside ribs, often called guards, form the sides of the stack. The thinner inside ribs spread apart and support the open leaf at intervals. The mechanism is shared with other traditions of Chinese folding-fan craft.[1][2]
The closed stack shows how evenly the ribs meet. The open fan shows how they space and support the leaf. Rongchang’s heritage account describes about 16 stages, including dyeing, adhesion, painting, carving and inlay. These are parts of a local workshop tradition. A plain paper leaf and a painted cloth leaf call for different finishing work.[1][4]
Black Paper, Palm Bamboo and Other Materials
| Feature on a fan label | What it identifies | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Black paper | The leaf | Dark pleats and a surface prepared with a traditional pine-soot mixture |
| Palm bamboo | Some or all of the ribs | Dark reddish guards, sometimes paired with pale inner ribs |
| Silk | The leaf | A fine woven surface supported by the ribs |
| Ramie cloth | The leaf | A visible bast-fiber weave that can carry a painted design |
The district library describes two palm-bamboo arrangements. In one, the two guards are made of dark palm bamboo and the inner ribs are made of paler bamboo. In an all-palm-bamboo version, all ribs use the same material. A closed view brings the grain and finish of the guards into focus.[2]
For black paper, the district library records a traditional mixture containing pine soot that colors the leaf. Rongchang workshops also make silk and ramie leaves, which can carry painting or calligraphy. Regional attribution also depends on how the ribs, leaf and decoration were made. Suzhou silk fans belong to a separate regional craft.[2][4][5]
A Fan-Making Center in Western Chongqing
Rongchang’s 1884 county gazetteer describes households making fans and merchants buying them for resale. The national project profile traces the craft to the Northern Song, while a municipal account places its origin in the Yongle reign of the Ming. The 1884 record establishes that Rongchang already had an organized fan trade by the late Qing. The craft entered the national representative list in 2008 as an extension of the fan-making entry.[1][3][5]
Chen Zifu learned basic fan making from his father. In 1962 he joined the Rongchang Folding Fan Factory, where he learned rib shaping and decoration from experienced makers. He opened his own shop in 1996 and developed ramie-leaf fans. His national heritage biography records one of his ramie fans, presented in a bamboo case, in the China Fan Museum collection.[4]
FAQs About Rongchang Folding Fans
What is a Rongchang black-paper fan?
It is a folding fan with a dark paper leaf. Rongchang’s district library documents a mixture containing pine soot for the dark surface. The maker selects the ribs separately.[2]
Are all Rongchang fans made of paper?
Rongchang makers also use silk and ramie cloth for the leaf. Bamboo ribs can support both paper and textile leaves.[1][2][4]
What does the 2008 heritage listing recognize?
The 2008 entry recognizes the craft of making Rongchang folding fans in Chongqing. The listing is an extension of the national fan-making entry and includes several kinds of fans.[1][3]
Sources
[1] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Fan Making: Rongchang Folding Fans
[2] Rongchang District Library. Rongchang Folding Fans
[3] Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism. Rongchang Fan-Making Entry
[4] China Intangible Cultural Heritage Digital Museum. Chen Zifu
[5] CQNews. Rongchang Folding Fan Making