Fan-Making Technique (Wang Xing Ji Fans)

Hangzhou's elegant fans have been renowned since the Southern Song, when workshops lined Fan Alley. Founded in 1875, the Wang Xing Ji house saw its fan-making craft inscribed as national ICH in 2008.

Its hallmark black-paper fan uses bamboo ribs and paper coated in persimmon lacquer through dozens of steps, so it resists rain and never warps—"a fan that is half an umbrella."

Counted with Hangzhou silk and Longjing tea among the city's "three crafts," the fan stands for Hangzhou's craftsmanship and scholarly taste.

The craft is carried on by the Wang Xing Ji house in Hangzhou.