扇子Chinese Fan

Fans are a tool to create winds. They are inexpensive and convenient, and have become daily necessities in the summer. Interestingly, the earliest fans were not used for people to cool off. What else can it be used for if not to make winds?

[shàn fēng qǔ liáng] 扇风取凉 use a fan to get cool
[fāng biàn shí yòng] 方便实用 convenient and useful
  [wù měi jià lián]      物美价廉  attractive and reasonable price

• 扇 v.[shān] 扇风 [shān fēng] use a fan
        n.[shàn] 扇子 [shàn zǐ]   fan
              eg.   扇扇子 [shān shàn zǐ] use a fan

Fans were first invented in ancient China. They were regarded as a symbol of one's social status. The earliest fans were big and made with colorful pheasant feathers. When emperors went on an inspection tour, big fans were employed to block the sun, wind and sand from the emperor.

Ordinary people had different types of fans, depending on status and gender. Round fans were particularly favored by women and looked like moon-shaped in form. The handle of a round fan is made of bone, jade or ivory with a tassel. They are a good symbol of a happy unio and good luck in Chinese culture. Round fans appear elegant and precious and have been in use in China for more than a thousand years.


Chinese scholars prefer folding fans that can open and close freely. A folding fan is exquisite and people enjoy writing a poem or paint a picture on it. The folding fan in the hands of a scholarly person often creates a graceful manner. Folding fans are the most common ones. But with a carved frame and a picture painted or poem written by a celebrity, a folding fan is 100 times more valuable.

[zhé shàn] 折扇 folding fans 

In addition to calligraphy, paintings and decorations, fans are often used as a stage prop for dancing, theatrical and martial arts performances. If you have an opportunity, make sure to watch a fan dance and kung fu fan performance.