Once neglected, oilpaper umbrella gets back its shine

Wen teaches the art of making oilpaper umbrellas at Hangzhou Vocational& Technical College.

"I asked my students what they thought about making Asian Games umbrellas. They told me they liked the look of the sporting venues and mascots the best, so I chose elements such as the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, which is called the Big Lotus, the tennis finals hall, which is called the Small Lotus, and the Games' three mascots," he said.

Fuyang venues will also host some of the competitions next year. For example, the shooting, archery and modern pentathlon events will be held at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Center, which was inspired by Chinese landscape paintings, while rowing and kayaking will take place at the Fuyang Water Sports Center.

"The Asian Games is a prominent event in Asia. I hope to use the opportunity to boost the international popularity of oilpaper umbrellas. I also hope to promote oilpaper umbrella culture during the Games," Wen said.

Production involves 106 individual steps, from selecting and cutting the bamboo, to pasting it onto the paper shade, drying it in the sun and brushing it with oil. The process usually takes about 15 days.

Wen added that the bamboo used should be at least 6 years old and should be soaked for a month to remove sugars to stave off decay.

"We often hold activities to attract young people. For example, we went to Xixi Wetland during the last National Day holiday to display umbrellas. I also displayed oilpaper umbrellas by the West Lake to demonstrate their beauty every afternoon during the holiday," Wen said.

"I have been to Greece before to promote Chinese umbrella culture. They are very popular among overseas Chinese, and I hope to go abroad for more exchanges in the future," he said, expressing his hope of popularizing oilpaper umbrellas all over the world.

In 2012, the Zhejiang Fuyang oilpaper umbrella was listed as an intangible culture heritage, drawing increasing attention to the handicraft.

"The earliest Chinese umbrellas appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). After the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and the invention of paper, the oilpaper umbrella came into being, and then during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it spread to North Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia," Wen said.