China's ancient oil-paper umbrellas coated with

Cooked tung oil.

Oil paper umbrellas are one of the traditional items of the Han people, and have been in use for more than 1,000 years. The umbrellas are made of hand-cut bamboo strips, and the surface is made of leather and cotton paper coated with natural waterproof tung oil. Oil paper umbrella is the world's earliest umbrella, handmade, all from natural materials, is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient Chinese.

Oil paper umbrellas in addition to the daily necessities of the sun and rain, is also an indispensable item of the wedding ceremony, the traditional Chinese wedding, the bride was married off the sedan chair, the matchmaker will use the red oil-paper umbrellas to cover the bride in order to ward off evil spirits. Influenced by China, Japan, Ryukyu ancient weddings are also used to oil paper umbrellas.

The quality of cooked tung oil

First, find a clean piece of white paper, the thinner the better, so that the effect is more obvious. With a finger dipped in a little cooked tung oil, forcefully smeared to the white paper, evenly smeared, so that the paper to eat the tung oil into the white paper on both sides of the smeared, the area as wide as possible.

Place it in a cool place to dry naturally. To be completely dry, wiped without adulterants cooked tung oil white paper, feel softer, toughness is also stronger; on the contrary, it is more brittle, easy to crack. You can also light this white paper on fire, burning up, if only tung oil flavor, that is not adulterated; if there are other pungent flavor, please use caution!

Although modern umbrellas and "oil-paper umbrellas" have been very different, but people still cherish "oil-paper umbrellas" as a symbol of traditional culture, and continue to preserve and develop this ancient craft.