Paper Umbrella Making Skills

Zhuang water bamboo flower umbrella, because of the selection of local high-quality water bamboo, good cotton paper as the material, so named. In Xiangyang Village, where the Shazu branch of the Zhuang nationality in Guanzhai Township, Qiubei, there is an 86-year-old man named Zhang Ronghua, who still inherits the skill of making water, bamboo and paper umbrellas by hand. According to the old man, his ancestral technique of making water, bamboo and paper umbrellas has been passed down for more than ten generations and has a history of more than 200 years.

In 2016, the process of making water bamboo paper umbrellas of the Zhuang nationality in Qiubei County was listed as an intangible cultural heritage protection project in Yunnan Province and was approved in 2017.

The production materials are mainly local water bamboo, white cotton paper, tung oil and flour boiled into paste, pigment, silk thread and so on. The local water bamboo has strong toughness and elasticity, and is an excellent material for making water bamboo paper umbrella stands and ribs. The production process mainly includes more than 80 fine and complicated processes such as material selection, bamboo sawing, green planing, umbrella winding, printing, wearing decorative thread, tung oil, etc.

Umbrella Tools

Fabrication Parts

Fabrication Parts

Water bamboo paper umbrella is rooted in the farming life of the Zhuang nationality. The umbrella surface is rich in printed patterns, fresh and elegant, simple and nostalgic, exquisite and beautiful. It contains a strong flavor of Zhuang culture and has high ornamental value, practical value and collection value.

Zhang Ronghua