It is hard to know exactly how fans were invented. The invention, or rather the discovery of the fanning function, could
have been as accidental as suggested as follows: A primitive man irritated by flies and mosquitoes, picked up a big leaf off a
plant next to him to drive the pests away. To his delight, his effort resulted in cooling air movements.
People believe the idea for the hand-held Chinese fan came from the umbrellas that were fixed to the top of carriages of the
Shang Dynasty (1600-1 100 BC). The oldest Chinese hand-held fan, which was found in Hubei Province in 1982, dates back about 2,300 years ago, to the Warring States period.
Early fans were made of bamboo "spokes" arranged in a half circle with silk wrapped around them. These fans did not fold up, as we know them today. Fans were primarily reserved for the member of the royal court, and it was not until the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) that the item became widely available among the general population. Fans became so wildly popular that in the Jin Dynasty (317-420 AD) Emperor Xiaowu forbade them to be made out of silk since so many fans were being made that silk production could notkeep up!
Chinese fans were made in many different forms. For example, a fan's base could be square or round, or have another
shape such as a duck's beak or fish tail.
The Chinese did not invent the folding version of the fan that is most commonly associated with the country...it was brought to China from Japan in the 11th century. It is said that a Japanese person had the ingenious idea of making such a fan when observing a bat's wings folding and unfolding.
Chinese fans are made of many materials, such as palm tree leaves bamboo, and paper. Other materials include bone, feather, carved lacquer ware paper, and silk. Additionally, fans' are sometimes made of precious materials such as mother-of-pearl and ivory.
Of particular interest is the sandalwood fan. Its most outstanding characteristic is the pleasant, fragrant scent that comes from the wood. Even in a modern air-conditioned environment. it will enhance the elegance and femininity of the lady holding it gracefully in her hand because of the emission of a subtle and refreshing fragrance.
On the other hand, palm fans, made in the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD) were cheaper and therefore widely used by people of, less expensive taste.
