Chinese Folding Fan History
What is a Folding Fan?
The folding fan, also known as "scattering fan", "paper fan", "pinched fan", etc., is a kind of fan that can be folded. Usually, the fan frame is made of bamboo, wood or ivory, and the fan surface is made of tough paper or silk. When in use, the folding fan needs to be unfolded to form a semi-circle, and when retracted, the head should be gathered together.
Source and History
During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the silk fan still held a dominant position and its styles became more diverse. At the same time, a new form of fan - the folding fan - also began to emerge. It is generally believed that folding fans were introduced from Japan and Goryeo in the early Northern Song Dynasty. By the Southern Song Dynasty, the production of folding fans had already taken shape. However, despite this, there are very few extant paintings of folding fans, as well as records of their images and paintings. There were less than ten of them in total during the Song Dynasty, and even fewer in the Yuan Dynasty.
