There were many kinds of fans in ancient China, though only the Zheshan (folding fan) and Tuanshan (round fan) have grown to receive true appreciation from art collectors

The folding fan is also known as the "head-gathering" style of fan because its ends meet together when folded. Such fans were first manufactured in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and became popular in theMing Dynasty(1368-1644).

The birth of the round fan was much earlier than those of the folding variety. Its shape, like a full moon, signifies the auspicious meaning of a union and happiness. The round fan has many elegant names, like " Wan Shan", " Luo Shan", "Bing Mian" " Bian Mian" and "Zhang Mian."

Such fans were very popular in theHan Dynasty(202 BC-AD 204). The best ones had a surface covered by white silk from East China'sShandong Provincewhile the handles were crafted out of bamboo from Central China'sHunan Province.Fans sometimes were decorated on both sides with paintings, poems orcalligraphy. Those that held a famous artist's paintings or calligraphy were highly prized possessions.he famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi of theJin Dynasty (265-420)once met an old woman selling folding fans in the street. He wrote five characters on each fan. This made the woman angry because she thought all her fans had been ruined. But when people discovered the artist's words on the otherwise ordinary fans, they sold like hot cakes - and at high prices.Fans are not only tools for cooling oneself, but also artworks symbols for status and taste. Scholars would wave their fans to show off their grace as they composed poetry or sat deep in thought. When not in use, fans were sometimes concealed inside sleeves or hung from the waist.For aristocratic young women, fans made from silk or other precious cloth -- especially flat round ones -- were a kind of prop to show off grace and beauty. Whenever they met a strange man, they would use their fans to hide their faces. So women's fans also have another name: "Zhang mian," which means, "Hiding face."

Fans gradually came to have attachments, such as fan bags, fan pendants and fan boxes. Fans also spread to other countries in the world, especially to Europe, becoming "emissaries" for Chinese culture.

 Covering of a Fan

Water Lily

Reputed as a gentle flower, the water lily (or lotus flowers) has prevailed everywhere in Chinese people's lives since ancient times.Many scholars in different dynasties hold it in high esteem for its beauty. The famous philosopher and poet Zhou Dunyi of Song Dynasty once wrote a short essay "On the Love of Lotus" (Ai Lian Shuo) in which Zhou compared the character of chrysanthemums and peonies with the lotus and highly praise the plant's truth and sanctity.

Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum also has the name of yellow flower, chongyang flower and so on. Reputed as a kind of flower with fortitude and adamancy, the chrysanthemum has always been loved and many artists have taken it as their subject in their works.

Plum Blossoms

Many scholars have been endowed with creativity from plum blossoms. As the saying goes, "plum blossoms of one tree can create a thousand of poems." Its coldly elegant character has been praised by many generations.

Bamboo

Many people love bamboo with its long, slim, and clean elegance, while poets and painters have admired the plant for its noble, fresh and elegant character.

 People on the fan

Beautiful Woman Fan

A painting of the figures of women was started during the Warring States period. At first the woman on the painting were only the main women of the palace. In the Song dynasty, this kind of painting was expanded to paint all beauties in the area.

Arhant

An arahant (Sanskrit, also arahant or arahant (Pali) is a highly realized Buddhist practitioner, one who has completely destroyed greed, hatred and delusion in his life .

The term arhat is, strictly speaking, a synonym for Buddha and is listed in some texts as one of the ten epithets of a Buddha.

China has many legends about the arhants.

Children Paintings

To describe children's naivety, chasteness, liveliness and rhathymia.

 Landscape Painting

Landscape painting is a unique cultural conception of china. Different from foreign landscape paintings, it is not a representation of natural scene, but endow cultural meaning in nature.

A union between the body and nature

The harmony between human beings and nature is the basic element in landscape painting. Humans are endowed with life's movement as well as spirit just as is nature. 

Calligraphy

Calligraphy is an art dating back to the earliest days of history, and widely practiced throughout China to this day. Although it uses Chinese words as its vehicle of expression, one does not have to know Chinese to appreciate its beauty. Calligraphy, in essence, is an abstract art.

Author:Ivana