Shaoxing Wang Xingji Paper Fans

Shaoxing Wang Xingji Paper Fans

　　　　Product Name: Wang Xingji Paper Fans

　　Place of Origin: Shaoxing

　　Product Introduction: Shaoxing Wang Xingji paper fans come in a complete range of varieties, diverse styles, exquisitely crafted, and made with high-quality materials. Most are made with finely selected bamboo for the ribs, using pure mulberry bark paper for the fan surface, and mountain persimmon lacquer as an adhesive. The craftsmanship is extremely complex. For example, the traditional black paper fan requires 72 processes and over 100 production steps to complete. Its main types include:

　　Black Paper Fan. This was the traditional product that initially brought fame to "Wang Xingji" and remains today one of its most renowned branded products, especially the "Mao Quan Ben" and "Quan Zong" models which are the most precious. The selection of materials for the black paper fan is very meticulous — the "Mao Quan Ben" uses moso bamboo harvested in winter and aged more than three years, while the "Quan Zong" must use palm bamboo grown in the high mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou. The fan surface uses pure mulberry bark paper from the mountainous areas of southern Zhejiang, and the coating is made from high-quality persimmon lacquer from the Kuaiji Mountain area mixed with powdered smoke coal from Fujian. The ribs of the "Mao Quan Ben" are fine, even, and pitch-black and shiny; the "Quan Zong" ribs feature distinctive patterns resembling a rooster’s neck feathers. Black paper fans are not only quaint and elegant in appearance, but also tough and durable in quality. Tests show that these fans can remain submerged in water for several days without warping or softening, and are resistant to both rain and sun, hence the saying “one fan is half an umbrella.” The carefully painted figures and landscapes on the fan surface, along with gold and silver appliqués, add the perfect finishing touch. The finished products are packaged in antique-style brocade boxes, making them elegant and beautiful, and excellent gifts for friends and family. They have long been bestsellers in Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

　　Craft Wall Fans. These are among the newer products developed in recent years, mainly for export. These fans fold to lengths ranging from 50 cm to 150 cm and come in over ten specifications, mainly used for decorating living rooms, studies, and other residential spaces. Varieties include paper-surfaced, full gold-surfaced, gold-splashed, and full silk-surfaced fans, with fan surface patterns mainly featuring festive and auspicious themes. When unfolded, these fans resemble wall murals in fan shape, and when viewed up close, they become delicate screens supported by 20 fan ribs. They are truly craft masterpieces that balance aesthetics and practicality, and have remained bestsellers in Japan and Southeast Asia.

　　White Paper Fan. This is a traditional product. These paper fans come in a wide variety of types and specifications, with large differences in grade — ranging from economical and practical fans priced at just 0.2–0.3 RMB each to artistic and collectible premium items priced at several dozen RMB. In recent years, with the development of the market economy, the practice of printing advertisements on fans for gifting to clients has become increasingly common. These paper fans serve both as daily-use items and as promotional or educational tools, giving new life to the traditional product.

Scented Wood Fan. This is another new variety developed in recent years, made from high-quality scented wood through processes such as slicing, shaping, flower punching, flower pulling, hot branding, and scent infusion. The slender ribs feature hundreds of fine, latticed patterns. When unfolded, the fan emits a fragrant aroma, and the brown patterns burned in with a hot tool give it characteristics similar to sandalwood fans, yet at just 1/20th the price. It is especially popular with young women. In addition, there are dance fans, flower-punched fans, miniature fans, imitation ivory fans, craft sandalwood fans, and cypress wood fans, each with its own unique features.

　　Product History: Shaoxing has long been a famous hub for fan-making. In the "Book of Jin · Biography of Wang Xizhi," there is a charming anecdote about Wang Xizhi inscribing a fan: “Once, he saw an old woman selling hexagonal bamboo fans at Mount Jishan. Wang Xizhi wrote five characters on each fan. Initially, the woman was displeased. He then said to her, ‘Just tell people that Wang Youjun (Wang Xizhi) wrote these, and you can ask for a hundred coins for each.’ The woman did as he said, and people rushed to buy them.” Today, there is still a “Fan Inscription Bridge” in Shaoxing City, said to be the spot where Wang Xizhi inscribed the fans, and this ancient tale remains a favorite story among the locals.

　　During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the fan-making industry in Shaoxing flourished significantly, concentrated mainly in the urban areas and places like Jiahui Xingpu, Zhoujiaqiao, Zhoushan, Meishan, and Xiaoguan. The Zhoujiaqiao area was the most prominent and was known as the “Fan Nest.” Aside from a few households engaged solely in farming, the vast majority were fan-making families, with up to four or five hundred fan workshops at the peak. Among them, the Wang Xingji Fan Shop gained lasting fame for its exquisitely crafted fans.

　　Wang Xingji Fan Shop was established in 1875 (the first year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty). The owner, Wang Xingzhai, was from Linpu, Xiaoshan (then under the jurisdiction of Shaoxing Prefecture), originally a descendant of a family skilled in fan-making, especially adept at crafting black paper fans. His wife, Chen Ying, was a master of fan gold leaf appliqué (a technique where gold and silver leaf patterns are cut and pasted onto the fan surface) and gold-sprinkling. Thanks to their superior skills and business acumen, they quickly gained fame, outcompeting the then-most-renowned "Shu Lianji" Fan Brand in Hangzhou, and claimed the throne as the top fan makers. Wang Xingzhai set up retail outlets in Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Hong Kong to specialize in fan sales, while his top apprentice, Zhang Jinmu, opened a fan workshop in Keqiao, Shaoxing, to supply the shops elsewhere. More than 100 years later, the humble fan workshop has evolved into a specialized fan factory with 8 major product categories, nearly 500 varieties and specifications, well-equipped facilities, and strong technical expertise. In 1986, the factory produced 2.2 million fans of all grades, achieving an output value of 2.56 million RMB, with tax and profit contributions of 720,000 RMB, and foreign exchange earnings of nearly 300,000 USD for the country. Among them, the export volume of craft large fans ranked first among all fan manufacturers in China. The fans produced by Wang Xingji Fan Factory are not only diverse in variety but also high in quality. In 1979 and 1983, the factory’s black paper fans won provincial-level quality product awards two years in a row. In 1986, the craft wall fans were also named provincial quality products, and a black paper fan painted with a “Panoramic View of Beijing’s Longevity Hill” won the first prize for national tourist souvenirs in 1987.