Chinese Oil Paper Umbrellas

   I came to appreciate the Chinese oil paper umbrellas or parasols when I saw it in a music video. An English woman named Mary Jess holding a beautiful oriental umbrella, and singing a beautiful song. When I researched about it I came to know that it is called oil paper umbrellas. 

   I recently saw an episode on CCTV News: Journeys in the Past wherein the host anchor Madam Dang Bing in Beijing talks about oil paper umbrellas. Dai Wang Shu (20^th century poet) poem Rainy Lane depicts a girl wondering alone holding a paper umbrella in her hand.

      Below are some of the information I've gathered about the Chinese oil paper umbrellas from the documentary that I have seen.

The visual appeal of an oil paper umbrella lies in the simplicity of its design. This is deceptive part in making an umbrella. In fact it is a complex undertaking. Consisting of 80 processes, all of them performed by hand. The materials, the bamboo, the paper, and oil, must be carefully selected and processed to achieve the most desirable effect.

The oil paper umbrella was already in use a thousand of years ago. The story of the paper umbrella begins in the city of Luzhuo. Traditional techiniques in producing oil-paper umbrellas are still used there today. Luzhuo grows elastic and flexible bamboos. They’re also producers of Tung oil. Without a good material no skilled craftsman can produce a good oil paper umbrella. The frame of the umbrella is made from a Moso bamboo (a type of bamboo). It takes only 59 days for a Moso bamboo to grow again after being cut down.

The origins of paper umbrellas remain a mystery even today. Many people believe they first appeared in the Tang dynasty. One thing is for sure they were made in Southern China, where  the damp rainy climate created a need for such umbrellas. It was in the the Ming dynasty that the umbrellas rose to the height of their popularity. People believed that red umbrellas bought in Luzhuo can protect good people and turn bad luck into good. 

In my China book, I read that Hangzhou also makes and produces oil-paper umbrellas. I have also found out in Hangzhou they also have an umbrella museum. Oil paper umbrellas can also be seen in Meinong a small Hakka town in SouthernTaiwan. It's really nice to know that people around the world appreciate this one of a kind craft. Each of these oil paper umbrellas are truly a labor of love.