Gong Fan

Gong Fan

　　Gong Fan is one of the famous fans from Sichuan. The bamboo-woven fan from Zigong, Sichuan (Zigong Gong Fan), is crystal-clear and shiny, resembling fine silk, and is renowned both in China and abroad.

　　　　During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Gong Juewu, a fan artisan from Ziliujing (now Zigong City), Sichuan Province, crafted a finely woven bamboo strip fan featuring characters such as “Fu” (blessing), “Lu” (prosperity), “Shou” (longevity), and “Xi” (happiness), or depictions like “Magpies Celebrating Plum Blossoms,” which were very popular among people. In the late Guangxu period, Zhou Xiaohuai of Sichuan’s “Encouragement of Industry Bureau” advocated for revitalizing various industries and selected high-quality handicrafts across the province. Gong Juewu’s bamboo strip round fan, along with Chengdu’s halogen-lacquered products and Liangping bamboo curtains, won awards. Gong Juewu’s son, Gong Yuzhang, further incorporated paintings by famous artists into the bamboo strip fans. It is said that a prominent merchant brought a painting of a court lady by Zhang Daqian, requesting that the face of the lady holding the delicate silk fan in the painting be faintly visible on the fan surface. Gong Yuzhang painstakingly experimented repeatedly and finally succeeded in crafting it. From then on, Gong Fan became widely renowned.

　　Development History

　　　　Bamboo strip fans originated with the Gong family, hence they are commonly known as “Gong Fans.” They have a history of over a hundred years and are one of Zigong’s famous “Three Little Wonders.” During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, they were created by the folk artist Gong Yuzhang, who built upon the skills of his father, Gong Juewu. In 1886, at the “Treasure Competition” held by the Baochuan Bureau established by Zhou Xiaohuai of Sichuan’s Encouragement of Industry Bureau, it won first place and was selected to be sent to the imperial palace. Emperor Guangxu bestowed upon it the name “Palace Fan.”

　　The selection of materials, craftsmanship, artistic quality, and the complexity of the techniques used in making “Gong Fan” are unparalleled, making it a true art treasure hailed as “the world’s finest fan.” “Gong Fan” uses young, shade-grown yellow bamboo as its raw material. The processed bamboo strips, made with special tools, are transparent and clean, thin as cicada wings. These are then arranged according to calligraphy and paintings by master artists, intricately woven, hung, inlaid, and structured to vividly recreate the charm of the original artwork, making the fan surface resemble silk brocade. Tapping the fan handle produces a sound like a drumbeat, leading observers to mistake it for plain-threaded embroidered silk. The handle is made of white ox horn, adorned with silky tassels, further highlighting its noble texture, soft and harmonious color patterns, greatly enhancing its elegance. This bamboo strip product, made from natural materials and featuring themes, forms, and styles of ethnic culture that are simple, delicate, graceful, and crafted with superior skill, is an excellent representation of Eastern art and traditional folk craftsmanship. The famous literary master and archaeologist Guo Moruo initially mistook the bamboo strip fan for plain-threaded embroidered silk and praised it as “truly miraculous craftsmanship.”

　　Product Craftsmanship

　　　　The craftsmanship of Gong Fan is complex. It is a type of crafted bamboo-woven fan, shaped like a peach, with a diameter of about 26 centimeters. Shade-grown bamboo is used as the raw material. From preparing the materials and making the strips to the weaving, everything is done entirely by hand using just a pair of hands and a knife. Gong Fan uses bamboo strips as thin as 0.01–0.02mm, which are aligned with calligraphy and paintings by master artists. Using more than 700–2000 bamboo strips, the patterns are rendered on the fan surface with both form and spirit. The content of the fan surface draws from a rich variety of sources, including landscapes, figures, and legendary stories. In addition to weaving the images, it is also necessary to weave the border strips, apply wooden molds, sew and lock the fan edges, and apply glue, all of which showcase a distinct ethnic style and unique artistic charm.

　　Gong Fan is hailed as “China’s Finest,” and its secret lies in its five-step creation process, all completed by a single master craftsman, with its greatest secret being the pursuit of perfection. The second-generation inheritor, Gong Yuzhang, found the bamboo strips too coarse, so he crafted a set of specialized tools such as scrapers, pointed knives, and picking needles. Then, using methods of opening and reducing, he turned the bamboo strips into a downy texture to depict the age of sparrows in the painting. Using the opening and breaking weaving techniques, he partially pierced the hair-thin bamboo strips to portray the eyebrows of figures in the painting. He skillfully used the natural colors of green and white bamboo strips to handle the light and dark of the patterns, calligraphy, and paintings. In this way, the finest details reveal charm, and contrasts in light and shadow display craftsmanship. Landscapes, figures, birds and beasts, calligraphy, and flowers all come “alive” on the fan surface. It is said that a prominent merchant once brought a painting of a court lady by Zhang Daqian, asking that the face of the lady holding the delicate silk fan in the painting be faintly visible on the fan surface. This seemingly unreasonable request was finally achieved by Gong Yuzhang after painstaking and repeated experimentation. The third-generation inheritor, Gong Changrong, crafted “Diao Chan Worshipping the Moon,” skillfully using the different properties of Gong Fan under direct and indirect light, making the wisps of smoke in the fan appear faint and mysterious.

　　Product Features

　　　　Gong Fan has always been famed for being as thin as cicada wings, and was thus once praised as the “Cicada Wing Fan.” The fan surface weighs only a few coins. Gong Fan uses young, shade-grown Cizhu bamboo, a specialty of Sichuan, preferably those without bamboo flower hearts, black or yellow streaks, and with moderate toughness. The bamboo strips are as fine as hair and as thin as cicada wings, allowing light to pass through and creating shadows.

　　Gong Fan is a craft bamboo-woven fan, shaped like a peach, with a diameter of about 25 centimeters. The fan surface is as thin as silk, soft as satin, and smooth as a mirror. The handle is made of ivory or ivory bone, adorned with silk tassels, and exquisitely delicate. When viewed against the light from the front, the fan surface appears white, with flowers, birds, and figures appearing and disappearing; when viewed from the left side, the patterns flash bluish, and the leaves appear white; when viewed from the right side, the patterns appear white, and the leaves flash bluish. Even more remarkably, when the handle is gently tapped, it produces a pleasant drum-like sound, making it endlessly fascinating. Such fans can be preserved for at least a hundred years.

　　Related Honors

　　　　As an artistic treasure, “Gong Fan” has been gifted by Party and state leaders to foreign heads of state. In 1953, it was presented to Soviet leaders, and in the same year, it participated in the Leipzig International Expo in Germany, winning a blue commemorative medal. In 1972, it was gifted to the British head of state. In 1991, the “China’s Finest” feature was broadcast on CCTV Channels 1 and 2. Taiwanese media have filmed and aired the entire process of making “Gong Fan” several times, and it has been extensively reported and praised by publications such as People’s Daily, People’s Pictorial, Workers’ Daily, and various local media. It has been exhibited and sold in countries and regions such as Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, receiving widespread acclaim from international friends.

　　“Gong Fan,” this rare artistic masterpiece, has, under the dedicated inheritance and research of its fourth and fifth generations, boldly innovated to reach a realm of consummate skill and lifelike artistry. Its unique charm as a folk art piece holds great value for both appreciation and collection.