Umbrella is Chinese traditional handicraft,nowadays more and more people has forgot it ,but a young man named Liu with several famous designers pick this handicraft again.Two years ago a a3-meter-wide huge umbrella went on exhibit at a Paris furniture fair.

WANDERING on a small, wet lane, a young man with a brush cut donning a black coat looks no different from other men passing by, and yet he is attracting everyone’s attention, and even causes heads to turn.

But passersby aren’t staring at him, rather, at his umbrella. The umbrella, made of bamboo ribs, with a wooden handle and paper cover painted with plum flowers, is the traditional Chinese umbrella which is mainly seen in Chinese operas or costume shows.

The young man, Liu Weixue, 26, has been passed on the traditional technique of umbrella making from his grandfather, Liu Youquan, who hails from Yuhang, Hangzhou.

The plum paper umbrella made by his grandfather has accompanied grandson for several years, and is the younger Liu’s main source of inspiration.

“Better to have a longer rod, a handle that’s easier to be held, and color inside the cover,” the young man tells journalists as he opens his umbrella. Liu has a detailed plan to renew the traditional handicraft.

For more than 2,000 years paper umbrellas have been used for protecting people from sunlight and, topped with oil, from rain. The umbrellas were a symbol of class — only middle- and upper-class families were able to afford them. The items were so costly that people made a living traveling from place to place to repair umbrellas.

Paper umbrellas can be an accessory that adds charm, a house decoration that is believed to ward off bad luck, or a token of love. Xu Xian gave a paper umbrella to the Madame White Snake in the renowned “Legend of the White Snake.”

They were so popular that they spread to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos. Today modern metal and nylon umbrellas have replaced the intricate traditional ones.

Liu Youquan, a businessman and an art fan, noticed the trend toward cheaper plastic models in the 1980s. He bought over 100 umbrellas of different patterns and sorts and started a private collection.

“I had this idea because one day, the umbrella I been using for three decades was broken, and no one could repair it.”

In 2006 he invested over 100,000 yuan (US$15,320) to start a workshop. He found five Yuhang men who knew how to make and repair the umbrellas — the only ones left alive in this area, Liu believed. “I am worried that the Yuhang paper umbrella I used from when I was a little boy will disappear forever,” said the senior Liu.

Making a paper umbrella starts by chopping bamboo into spokes to create the umbrella’s skeleton. This has to be done by hand, as machines would make the bamboo cross section too rough.

A common umbrella requires 36 long ribs and 36 shorter ribs, larger ones used on the beach or at cafes require more. Some places boil the skeleton to make it mothproof, but Yuhang craftsmen only use bamboos chopped in winter so the moths are already dead.

At the tip of the spokes, wood shafts are added both inside and outside, and colorful cotton threads are used to fasten the skeleton.

Covers are stuck onto the skeleton, which are painted by the grandfather and other craftsmen.

Dye is used to color the cover where it joins the ribs so the umbrella shows a different color or even a pattern when closed.

After that, the tip of the umbrella will be wrapped with metal and it will be lacquered. The lacquer makes the umbrella waterproof and more durable.

“It is difficult, time-consuming, but it is worth it,” the younger Liu said.

The younger Liu, who studied design in college, is determined to redesign Yuhang paper umbrellas. He just finished printing custom-made patterns on umbrella cover.

Their workshop now sells paper umbrellas from 200 to 300 yuan.

“If it is not used by the mass, it’s better to serve the niche market well,” the young man said.

Other customer-made parts include inside colors and patterns of the umbrella, the length of rod, the shape of handle. Also, some traditional part will be replaced, including uncomfortable iron sheet used to close the umbrella, old and unpopular paintings, and too heavy wooden rods.

Liu has cooperated with several famous designers, and two years ago a 3-meter-wide huge umbrella crafted by the workshop went on exhibit at a Paris furniture fair.

“My grandfather is getting old, and so are the other workers,” said Liu. “I need the business to run well, otherwise there will be no young disciples and the technique will die.”

  *This article was published on www.shanghaidaily.com.