The common hand held handheld fan was revolutionized by the Chinese and transformed into a medium of artistic expression. This simplistic practical tool that served the purpose of helping one cool down by brushing the air underwent a massive transition to become a full fledged art form.
In the early days the Chinese made use of different feathers and leaves as hand held fans. Later on however China became the first country to manufacture hand held fans. The credit for inventing the traditional Chinese japanese fans goes to one of their kings by the name of Wu belonging to the Zhou dynasty of the 11th century BC.
It is generally believed that the idea of the hand held fan is inspired by the umbrellas that were mounted on top of carriages during the Shang dynasty. The oldest known Chinese paper fan dates back to 2300 years ago which was during the Warring States period.
The evolution of the hand held cheap wedding decorations
The construction of the early fans was in the form of a half circle made from bamboo spokes. The spokes had a wrapping of silk around them. These fans however were not foldable like the ones we know of today and nor were they meant to be used by the common man. The hand held Chinese paper fan was only to be used by a member of the royal court. It was under the Han dynasty that the common man began to make use of the hand held fan.