Consisting of a bamboo frame and a surface made of delicately painted mianzhi or pizhi - types of thin but durable paper mainly made from tree bark - Chinese oil-paper umbrellas have long been viewed as an emblem of China's tradition of cultural craftsmanship and poetic beauty.

Painted with tongyou - a kind of plant oil extracted from the fruit of the tung tree often found in South China - to make it waterproof, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas are not just an instrument to ward off rain or sunlight, but also works of art possessing rich cultural significance and aesthetic value.

History

Enjoying a history of nearly two millennia, China's oil-paper umbrellas number among the world's oldest umbrellas. According to historical records, the first oil-paper umbrellas in China began appearing during Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). They soon became very popular, especially among literati who loved to write and draw on the umbrella surface prior to the waterproofing oil being applied to demonstrate their artistic skill and literary tastes. Elements from traditional Chinese ink painting, such as birds, flowers and landscapes, could also be found on oil-paper umbrellas as popular decorative patterns.

Later, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas were brought overseas to Japan and the then ancient Korean kingdom of Gojoseon during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which is why they were known in those two nations as "Tang umbrellas." Today, they are still used as an accessory for female roles in traditional Japanese dramas and dances.

Over the centuries Chinese umbrellas also spread to other Asian countries such as Vietnam and Thailand.

Traditional symbol

Oil-paper umbrellas are an indispensable part of traditional Chinese weddings. A red oil-paper umbrella is held by the matchmaker as the bride is greeted at the groom's home as the umbrella is supposed to help ward off bad luck. Also because oil-paper (youzhi) sounds similar to the word for "have children" (youzi), the umbrella is seen as a symbol of fertility.

Additionally, Chinese oil-paper umbrellas often appear in Chinese literature works to imply romance and beauty, especially in stories set south of the Yangtze River where it is often rainy and misty.

Movie and television adaptations based on the famous ancient Chinese story Madame White Snake often have the beautiful snake-turned heroine Bai Suzhen carry a delicate oil-paper umbrella when she meets her future lover Xu Xian for the first time.

"Alone holding an oil-paper umbrella, I wander along a long solitary lane in the rain…"goes the popular modern Chinese poem "A Lane in the Rain" by Chinese poet Dai Wangshu (as translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang). This gloomy and dreamy depiction is another classical example of the umbrella as cultural icon.

The round nature of an umbrella makes it a symbol of reunion because "round" or "circle" (yuan) in Chinese also carries the meaning of "getting together."