Huzhou Feather Fan

Huzhou Feather Fan

　　　　Product Name: Huzhou Feather Fan

　　Place of Origin: Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province

　　Product Features: Carefully selected materials, exquisite craftsmanship, unique design, elegant style, soft texture and gentle breeze, making it an excellent choice for keeping cool.

　　Product Introduction: The Huzhou feather fan has long been celebrated for its carefully selected materials, fine craftsmanship, distinctive design, and unique style. In ancient times, the materials used to make feather fans included birds such as the phoenix, red-billed blue magpie, kite, pheasant, crane, peacock, stork, swan, red goose, osprey, heron, and egrets. Over the centuries, many of these bird species became extinct. By the 1990s, as the country implemented protections for rare birds, the primary materials for feather fans shifted to domestic poultry feathers, such as those from geese and ducks.

　　Product History: The feather fan is a traditional Chinese handicraft with a long history. According to Cui Bao’s "Gu Jin Zhu" (Notes on Ancient and Modern Matters), feather fans made from bird feathers existed as early as the Shang Dynasty over 3,000 years ago. During the Zhou Dynasty, feather fans were used by ceremonial guards. By the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was known to command his troops with a white feather fan, and during the Jin Dynasty, Gu Rong led his forces against Chen Min under a feather fan—thus popularizing the use of feather fans in the Wu region. Historical records state: “Those who wave kite wings are from the regions of Wu and Chu,” and “those who hold crane wings are scholars of Chu.” These accounts suggest that the craft flourished especially in the southeast and was highly popular in the ancient Wu and Chu territories. The traditional production process of Huzhou feather fans, as recorded in historical documents, generally involved seven main steps: - **Feather Collection:** Every February, artisans would travel to Huaiyang, Zhili, and Huguang to purchase various feathers from hunters, known as “feather merchants.” - **Feather Selection:** For fan-making, feathers that were neat and clean were considered the best, while others were used for coarser fans. - **Feather Dyeing:** Pure white feathers were most prized, followed by dyed ones—though only feathers from swans, ducks, and ostriches could be successfully dyed. - **Handle Making:** Fan handles were made of horn, wood, bamboo, or other materials, with those crafted by Yu’s family in Jinpónong being the most refined. - **Fan Assembly:** Whole feathers were selected and trimmed; if not perfectly round, feathers of similar color and length were matched. - **Trimming and Decoration:** After assembly, decorative tassels were added to enhance the appearance of the fan. Some fans had one tassel, others two or three, in varying colors to match the fan’s tone. - The current methods of making Huzhou feather fans largely preserve these traditional techniques. Huzhou feather fans also come in a variety of names. Historical records mention names based on people (such as “Zhuge,” which is pointed and made from crane, swan, or wild goose feathers), colors (like “White Circle,” shaped like a lotus and made from crane or stork wing feathers), or types of feathers (such as “Crane,” “Swan,” “Hawk,” “Dipper,” or “Green Rooster”). Among these, the “Dipper” and “Green Rooster” feathers could be made into full-circle or half-circle fans—the former featuring a moon-like gradient, the latter a half-moon effect, referred to as “Goose Circle” or “Eagle Circle,” echoing the ancient concept of “Red Circle.”

　　Product Anecdote: Wuxing (Huzhou) is one of the “Three Wus,” known for its abundant resources and highly developed handicraft industry. Traditional crafts such as Huzhou brushes, silk satin, bronze mirrors, and feather fans are all renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship and long history. During 772–776 AD, the Tang Dynasty official Yan Zhenqing served as Prefect of Huzhou and mentioned the region’s affairs in his work “Shi Zhu Ji” (Records of Stone Pillars), including the “Yao Chang Pheasant Tail Fan” of Huzhou, indicating that feather fan production in Wuxing (Huzhou) was already famous by the Tang Dynasty. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, Huzhou feather fans gained renown across the land. Zhang Yanchang of the Qing Dynasty praised them in his “Feather Fan Spectrum”: “Huzhou round fans are famed throughout the world; Zhuge and Wang Sui need no silk frame. Sails from Huaihai bring back feather merchants, while spring visitors recognize the golden workshop in old alleys.” In ancient times, most fan makers lived in Huzhou’s Jinpónong Lane. This lane still exists in today’s Huzhou city, with a branch of the Tiaoxi River flowing just north of it. The remains of old streets along the river can still be faintly seen. For a long time, people questioned why Huzhou, not a native habitat of feathers, became so specialized in fan-making. Qing Dynasty scholar Wang Yanding provided a detailed explanation in his “New Records on Fans and Canes”: “Bird feathers become brittle and scattered, but the water beneath Luotuo Bridge in Huzhou, Zhejiang, fed by the Tiaoxi River, is swift and heavy. Washing feathers in this water makes them smooth and supple like satin, hence why feather fans are uniquely produced in Huzhou.”