Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan

Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan

　　The radiant, cloud-like, and gossamer-thin Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan is a gem among China's handicrafts. The weaving technique behind this fan was created by Gong Juewu in the late Qing Dynasty and has been passed down through four generations of the Gong family for over a hundred years. As a result, it is commonly referred to as the "Gong Fan." The fan features a peach-shaped surface, similar to a traditional round silk fan, meticulously woven from bamboo threads as fine as silk. Its color is a tender yellow, thin enough to be translucent, soft and delicate, resembling woven brocade. The patterns—whether landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, insects, or fish—are all exquisitely lifelike, paired with an ivory or ox-bone handle and a silk tassel, it is truly exquisite, regarded as an ingeniously crafted national treasure. It is said that during a Canton Fair, a seasoned British silk merchant mistook the Gong Fan for a silk product. Upon learning it was woven from bamboo, he exclaimed, “The Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan truly deserves a place among the world’s artistic treasures.” The Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan has long been celebrated both domestically and internationally. In 1956, it won an award for overseas exhibition, and after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, it was displayed in the U.S. Today, it is sold in over fifty countries worldwide and is highly cherished by people from various nations. The second-generation inheritor, Gong Yuzhang, modified the original few types of bamboo splitters into more than ten specialized tools for splitting, scraping, picking, and plucking. He also expanded the original simple “human character” weaving method to include new techniques such as dots, lines, breaks, and crosses. Gong Yuzhang was also very particular about materials, using only “one-year-young” yellow bamboo from shady mountains with small leaves and long joints, harvested in spring or autumn. After cutting, the bamboo is constantly nourished with clean water, then processed with specially made tools to even the texture, scrape off the green, thin it out, and refine it until the bamboo threads become as fine as hair, as thin as cicada wings, and as soft and tough as silk or satin. A single fan often uses over a thousand bamboo threads. He could weave following famous paintings and calligraphy, achieving the level of a master copying a painting. The animals he wove could be distinguished by age, gender, and even youthfulness, while the figures clearly conveyed emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

　　The third-generation inheritors of the Gong Fan, Nian Changrong and Gong Yuwen, have admirably carried on the family craft, making meaningful explorations in fan shape design, pattern themes, artistic style, and color application. Nian Changrong’s creations “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” and “Flying to the Moon” were praised at the 1978 National Arts and Crafts Exhibition. “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” was also exhibited in Philadelphia, USA, in March 1981 and received acclaim. Gong Yuwen’s work “Bai Tao Making Paper,” won the sole first prize at the 1979 Sichuan Provincial Artisans and Technicians Congress.

　　　The Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan is a long-renowned specialty of Zigong City, Sichuan Province, and a radiant gem among China’s handicrafts. The weaving technique of the Zigong Bamboo Silk Fan was pioneered by Gong Juewu in the late Qing Dynasty, which is why it is also called the “Gong Fan.” The fan has a peach-shaped surface, meticulously woven from bamboo threads as fine as silk. Its color is a tender yellow, radiant like cloud brocade and thin as a cicada’s wing. The patterns—whether landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, insects, or fish—are all vividly realistic. Paired with an ivory or ox-bone handle and a silk tassel, it is truly exquisitely crafted and can be regarded as a national treasure.