Traditional Chinese Parasol

Description

The traditional Chinese parasol opens with the ease of old design: a single arc of oiled paper and lacquered bamboo, familiar in its logic, particular in its craft. A thousand years of unbroken refinement, held in one hand.

The oiled paper parasol has been produced in China for over a thousand years, with Luzhou in Sichuan province holding the most continuous lineage of production. Artisans in Luzhou stretch hand-oiled paper across frames of fine split bamboo, a process refined through generations of family workshops where frame, paper, oil, and lacquer finish are each handled by different hands. The parasol appears in Buddhist temple art across China, Vietnam, and Japan as a mark of dignity and protection, depicted above figures of significance.

This parasol spans approximately 80cm when fully open, with a handle of turned bamboo at approximately 42cm in length. The canopy is made from hand-oiled mulberry paper, providing genuine rain protection and significant shade. The frame is split bamboo, each rib precisely tensioned and flexible. Available in several painted designs: floral, traditional crane, plain lacquered. The open-close mechanism is a sliding ferrule, smooth in operation. Weight approximately 200g: light enough to carry without registering.

Traditional Chinese oiled paper parasol. Mulberry paper canopy, bamboo frame and handle. Approximately 80cm open diameter, 42cm handle length. Available in multiple painted designs. Luzhou, Sichuan, China. Weight approximately 200g.

A thousand years of uninterrupted making. Genuine rain and sun protection. No equal in its category.