The Story and Legend of Luzhou Fenshui Oil Paper Umbrella

It is said that during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the late Qing Dynasty, there was a burly and handsome man on the boat crossing the Dadu River in Leshan, as if he had come down from the upper reaches of the Dadu River. After a long journey, he carried a red umbrella with the words "Wing Palace" written on it. When the umbrella was opened, the words disappeared, but the seal of "Made in Luzhou" was printed on it. At that time, someone on board found that Wing Wang Fu was the word "Wing Wang Fu", and they suspected that it was Wing King Shi Dakai. After landing, he rushed to the yamen, and the chief caught up with him, but the man had disappeared. The story soon spread all over China. People say that Luzhou Red Umbrella can protect the lives of good people and turn evil into good. People rushed to buy Luzhou Red Umbrella for use, wishing themselves or giving it to relatives and friends.

National Intangible Cultural Heritage —— Sichuan Luzhou Oil Paper Umbrella

At the second China Chengdu Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, Luzhou Fenshui oil-paper umbrellas, which have been passed down for more than 400 years, were robbed at an average rate of hundreds every day. Luzhou Fenshui Oil Paper Umbrella, which was almost lost, immediately attracted the attention of the world after it was successfully declared as a national intangible cultural heritage.

An oil-paper umbrella will not be damaged if it is repeatedly supported for 3000 times, and it will not lose its bones if it is soaked in clear water for 24 hours, and the top of the umbrella will not be deformed when walking in the five-level wind. As the only intangible cultural heritage project in China, Luzhou Oil Paper Umbrella almost completely inherits the traditional umbrella-making skills of China.

According to Bi Liufu, the sixth generation inheritor of this production process and the director of Fenshui Oil Paper Umbrella Factory located at the junction of Sichuan and Guizhou, "It takes an experienced master half a month to make an umbrella." An umbrella has to go through more than 90 processes and use hundreds of tools from cutting to making. "The most important thing is to look at the weather. If the sun is too big, it will not work. " Climate will mainly affect the formation of umbrella ribs and the smoothness of paper, resulting in bending or shelling. Since the successful declaration of the national intangible cultural heritage project, bamboo poles, colored lines and semi-finished umbrellas can be seen everywhere in the old courtyard of the umbrella factory of Fenshui Oil Paper Umbrella Factory, and the air is filled with the strong smell of tung oil.

After the successful application for the heritage of Fenshui oil-paper umbrella in Luzhou, many non-legacy experts suggested that as an intangible protection project with intellectual property rights, the traditional process value should be considered more when determining the sales price of Fenshui oil-paper umbrella, not just the material cost and labor cost of the paper umbrella itself. (Atlas source)