With Chinese traditional music -Erhu

Chinese Umbrellas

China is believed to be the home to umbrellas, which are still widely used

in the country. The earliest umbrellas are known to have existed at least two thousand

years ago, first made of silk and later popularly paper. The Chinese waxed and

lacquered their paper parasols because oil repels water. In ancient times, the frames of

the umbrellas were made of mulberry bark or bamboo. Red and yellow umbrellas were

used by royal families and blue umbrellas, by the common people.

At present, umbrellas in China are made of various materials:

oilpaper,cotton, silk, plastic film and nylon. They are used either against the rain or as

parasols to give shade from the sun. Some are built on straight frames while others are

collapsible.

The prettiest Chinese umbrellas, however, are those covered with silk,

and the silk parasols of Hangzhou are veritable works of art, which also serve a

practical purpose. The silk, as thin as cicada's wing and printed with landscapes, is

also fixed on a bamboo frame.